Life is a Journey

But what do I WANT?!

2011-12-15T19:45:00.000-08:00

I think part of my hardship in deciding what I want sometimes is overshadowed by all of the things I don’t want out of that particular situation. Take for example a big question. What do I want to do after May? Well great question, because you see I know that I don’t want to be designing home s for people that I feel could rather be giving that money to someone who either a)has no home or b)has a home which does not pass any codes. Well we can knock out Residential design can’t we (or can we)? Then we can take the fact that I don’t want to be designing office spaces for big business firms, because where is the fun in that? We are then left without two of the main interior design focuses and left with hospitality and educational design. Yes, I do love both of these, but is there a place that does one of those and NOT the other which I do not want to do. Then we have to take into account my passion to help those less fortunate, but combine it with the fact that I will be one the “less fortunate” if come May I am jobless and have no place to live. Here lays the problem to be solved. Find something I love that, at least for a little while, can get me money to live.

Another thing that I think will help me with these decisions is educating myself. Here I sit with only one more semester at Meredith to go, and I can think of lots of classes I would have loved to take. I think that by educating myself in different subject areas I can learn what I like, what I hate, and then what I may not like as much but be good at. If I had known this freshman year I may have had a better outlook in classes and may have even done better. There is now no time to wonder about the “what ifs,” but there is time to appreciate each and every moment I have to learn in the next 6 months. I have the chance to talk to some people about housing issues in Raleigh and what people are doing to live in community with one another. I think there are barriers which will take more than research and a project to fix in neighborhoods, and across our city. I think that there is a solution to solving major problems of poor housing, poor health, and poor education in our low income neighborhoods, and that is something I would like to be a part of. What are the “other” neighborhoods doing that these low income neighborhoods aren’t, and if it isn’t being done because they don’t have the money how can they revise a similar plan to their area. Not only are their problems in low income neighborhoods, there are problems in rich suburban neighborhoods too, or at least I believe so. These neighborhoods are often under exposed to issues in the community and people decide to avoid problems rather than solve them.

The next question would be how I can address my concerns to those issues with my knowledge and my degree. That is the question I hope to find the answer to through internships this semester.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding -Proverbs 3:5

Not EXPECTING in a season of WAITING and PREPARING

2011-12-01T11:57:00.000-08:00

Tis the season to be… what are we called to be in this Advent season?

I think that in the past two weeks alone I have been upset, sensitive, happy, humbled, joyful, anxious, thankful, and angry. Those are just some of the emotions which I have felt through the past few weeks as I suffer loss, begin to wrap up a semester, work to see friends before the holidays, and expect (in perhaps a dangerous way) certain things to be coming for me this Advent season. As we talked about the danger of expectations at community group last night I couldn’t help but think about what I am going through right now, or how dangerous it is for me to be expected Martin to come here in a few weeks when I really have no idea if he will or will not get a visa. I think that I could say “tis the season of expectations” but I fear that is too dangerous, and so my hope is to alter that into a season of praise and peace in the unknown. Praising Christ for all I have, whether it is near or far away. I am thankful for the gift of love and I am humbled by the friends who have kept me up late this week because those nights were very precious and beautiful nights with friends. I am realizing that whether I want to understand what is to come or not, I will not. Being a senior, I am in a season of not knowing.

Continuously in life we are faced with the unknown and with change. The major changes in my life have created a space for me to learn about something I don’t think I could have otherwise. That is what studying abroad was for me. I didn’t think it was going to be easy to leave everything and everyone I loved when I went abroad but I knew that there was something more amazing than I could understand waiting for me at each new destination. Each trip I didn’t just discover another gorgeous church or piece of art, but the chance to discover something about myself on each trip. Life offers us the chance to learn about ourselves at each and every turn and at each and every place that we go.

Prayer: May we see Advent as a time of WAITING for the coming of Christ and may we be PREPARING our hearts for that. Let us see the beauty in preparing a way for Christ and let us seek the Lord as we wait for his coming this Holiday season.

*Note: This blog was written quickly and in the midst of exams/projects, but I felt compelled to write and then share what I had written.

Belize Sponsor Letter

2011-10-16T12:00:00.000-07:00

Dear family and friends,

I hope this letter finds you doing well and enjoying fall, my favorite season. Last spring I was able to study abroad in South Africa, and I saw and experienced things completely new to me. I even worked with fellow service learning students to build a playground at Lynedoch Primary school outside of Stellenbosch where I was studying. Through various service projects in the Raleigh community with Meredith Christian Association and within the work I was a part of in South Africa, I have learned that I enjoy seeing the world through the eyes of other people in their own communities. This gives me the chance to educate myself first hand on the way other people are living. Every time I enter a situation where I am serving I always come out having learned so much.

This coming spring break, March 3-10, 2012, the Office of the Chaplain at Meredith College will be taking a group of students to Belize for a service trip. Because of my involvement with Meredith Christian Association and my desire to see the world I have decided there is no other way I want to spend my spring break. I will get the chance to work with children in the city of Cahal Pech by leading a literacy program and doing light construction at Faith Nazarene Primary School. I anticipate that while on this trip I grow in my faith and gain more knowledge to take with me in post graduate work.

Unfortunately my love and passion to serve and see the world is not enough to fund my trip. Without financial support from my community of family and friends, I will not be able to afford a trip to Belize. Receiving support is part of the preparation process for my trip to Belize. I am also planning to sell handmade gifts during the holidays and will hold fundraisers with other participants before March. I need to raise $1200 by February 1^st, 2012 so please think about helping me raise the funds by donating $150, $100, $50, $20 or even $10. I would love any support you can give me, and hope that no matter your contribution you will pray for my trip. You can visit my blog where there is a link to my PayPal account or you can mail checks (made out to Hannah Massey or Meredith College, noting it is a donation for my trip) to my address. It is because of the love and support from family and friends that I am able to achieve success, and grow from experiences. I know this trip to Belize will prove that love and support is evident.

Link to Project Playground video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FV6Qut5ls8M

Thanks in advance for your support!

Grace and peace,

Hannah Massey

God's Amazing Plan

2011-08-29T10:49:00.000-07:00

I wrote this Saturday night. I had not intended to share it but it seems many loved ones have needed to hear it, so here I share it:

Tonight at the Christian concert I joined some of my friends and I couldn’t help but stop and realize that the next couple of years, as much as I toy around with ideas of where I want to be, are not in my hands. I have all of these ideas of where I may like to go next. Yes I will be filling out the applications and preparing for the interviews, but it is God that will lead me to the right place, the right city, the right job, and the right people. I have some comfort in knowing that. I have been uttering the Lord’s Prayer to myself a bit differently recently. The one line that has stuck out more than any other is “Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done.” His will IS going to be done. That is all I can pray and it will be done “on earth as it is in heaven” for that is why Christ died for us so that we may live to serve a meaningful life here on earth. THAT is something to rejoice about every day. THAT is enough of a gift to make anyone excited about. THAT is Jesus’ amazing love!

Italy, 2009

Was that a dream?

2011-06-21T12:12:00.000-07:00

June 14^th 2011

Now that I am back home and rearranging life while frantically searching for some work (so I can have money and keep my sanity in Laurinburg) I realize that I was REALLY just in beautiful South Africa for 5 months. I can’t believe the semester I wanted from the moment I arrived as a freshman at Meredith has already come and gone before I could catch my breath. As I begin to prepare for my last year of college and begin to realize that I must really get my mess together in the next year I panic. I had some really good talk time with friends today and I almost wished I could have recorded our conversations because it was as if there was realization after realization about life after school and just things ahead in life like work, bills, and marriage. I am not trying to say I need to figure all or any of those things out JUST yet, but at least the work part has got me under a bit of stress. I know my search has only begun if I actually want to find some kind of work, but it also frustrating because I am neither here in Laurinburg long enough to work (that is a good but bad thing) or open to doing just anything. I mean I would like to be happy doing what I am doing and while I understand I am most likely not going to find a paid job that will benefit my interior design studies, I can’t wear a cap and sit at a drive thru either. I guess this gap between now and August is hard because I am not sure of what is ahead (at least between August and May) but I have no idea how I will find a good job and be happy here in Laurinburg right now. This is a concern that arose within me before even leaving Stellenbosch, but now that I am physically in Laurinburg it is more present. I would really like to find work, but whether that comes through or not I do know that there are a few more things I want for my summer and so I will try to rather focus on those goals instead so that I can feel productive and accomplished through them. Some of these include continuing to work out, organizing all of my things, working through a cookbook, and just reflecting on the semester.

There is nothing more dreadful than the habit of doubt. Doubt separates people. It is a poison that disintegrates friendships and breaks up pleasant relations. It is a thorn that irritates and hurts; it is a sword that kills. –Buddah

Speechless

2011-06-21T06:42:00.000-07:00

It is hard to believe i've been back a week. I mean, when I am home with people familiar to me and in familiar places it is hard to remember being somewhere else for 5 months. However, the moment I think of being at Brazen with friends or hanging out in Stellenbosch I get home sick. Today, on my grandmother's 86th birthday, I was reminded that words won't do a thought or memory justice. This happened in a strange way.

You see my grandmother hasn't been able to share her thoughts through speaking for months now. Her emotions are shown through eyebrow raises or tears running down her face. If I was my grandmother and had to show my emotions without speaking to explain my time in South Africa I would raise my eyebrows for the shock that still hits me after remembering bungy jumping off the world's highest bungy bridge. I would laugh when remembering countless nights with dear friends in Stellenbosch and I would cry because I miss them so much already. I would smile when I think of the love I found in that place which has led to beautiful relationships and friendships. Then the tears of joy would come when I think about the joy I found in that city with those people and through my kids at Lynedoch Primary when they were given a beautiful playground. That is what I hope my emotions would tell people if I couldn't speak.

I wonder what my grandmother wanted to tell me today when her eyebrows rose as I told her about my adventures or tears ran down her face after I arrived and gave her a big hug which i'd been waiting 5 months to give. One thing I do know is that I am happy I got to celebrate another birthday with her and I think she was too. -(June 18th, 2011)

Leaving and Getting Home

2011-06-20T19:57:00.000-07:00

June 9th-Airport
Today was complete chaos, but i could not have asked for a more beautiful last day in Stellenbosch. The sun was shining and the clear skies made Stellenbosch mountain impossible to miss. Last night I finished off all of the beer on the Beer Quest list at Brazen, leaving only my Guinness to enjoy over lunch in the bar which holds countless memories. These past few days have flown by and I think my body is moving physically fast through the motions of goodbyes and packing. I'm afraid for the emotions to catch up and kick my butt soon.

June 10th-Home in Laurinburg
I was able to re open Frederick Buechner's Listening to Your Life devotional for the first time in months and this days daily devotional encourages one to step into the darkness. I feel as though the summer ahead is very full of darkness, but I pray that it challenges me in a way that leads to growth and more space to reflect on the past semester so I can use new knowledge in older familiar environments. I left when the sun was going down in Cape Town and tonight I got back home and after crossing into Scotland County I turned around to see a huge beautiful sunset.

Great Week with a Great Friend!

2011-06-20T09:04:00.000-07:00

In my last full week of being in South Africa I took a Garden Route trip with my dear New Yorker friend Maria (better known as BooBoo) which started right near us at the Spier wine estate and ended in the sea side town of Port Elizabeth. Here are the journal entries I wrote along our adventure!
DAY ONE
We have a nice roomy adventure bus (or truck as our driver better refers to it) and really diverse group. There is a Swed (to remind me of Maria x2 and Kriztin) and two girls from Holland (to remind me of Thijs and Jiska), then there is a Canadian girl and an older couple, one who is Canadian and one who is from England. We are riding along the N2 and will stay in Swellendam tonight. I'd love to see Martin's mom if we stop in or near Mossel Bay at some point. Last night we talked about my leaving and my being scared for it. We talked about how I m not scared our love will fade or that I will doubt him and I but that so many other people may. I don't want negative pressure on either of our ends. I was glad that when I asked him (or told him) about how it's hard because we don't know when we will see each other again he says "when the time is right." It's something he told me that I hope he remembers but also that shows his strength or at least his hope for us.

DAY ONE-Evening
Sleeping in a big gathering space that reminds me of sleeping with 85 teenagers on Teens Westward Bound in 2006. We even stopped at the mall today and it reminded me of those short frantic stops along the TWB trip where I would just THINK I was hungry and once Athena (a girl from Laurinburg) and myself bought an entire chocolate pie and ate it. I hate how cold and rainy it was today, but hopefully it will go away for tomorrow so we can enjoy the Cango Caves. Can't fight mother nature though, it is a battle you'll never win.
DAY 3
Last night after an awesome adventure in the Cango Caves and an ostrich ride/feeding we parked the trust at our site for the night. Last night we stayed in Outshoorn, home to the largest population of ostriches in the world (I think). Maria and I discovered a bath tub in the warm bathhouse and after a traditional South African/Zimbabwe dinner of meat and "pup" (maize like food similar to grits, but thicky) we had a warm bath in our bathing suits and drank wine. We are both beginning to freak out a bit about the small amount of time we have left. Hopefully I can settle playground payments today... Off to Knysna.

DAY 4
Knysna was both relaxing and fun, maybe a bit accomplishing too. We went to the water front and since there wasn't too much to do we enjoyed coffee, cake, and ice cream at a little Italian restaurant. We had an Italian/South African waiter and it was fun to make conversation with him. We called Cindy and Justin and realized how much we already missed them so we began plotting how we could get home sooner. We found internet at a cute restaurant and across the street wine bottles caught our eye. We went back for a free tasting after successfully finding a hookah. Her name is Cleo and she is red, in case you were wondering. It was nice to walk around the Knysna town and not just the waterfront. The owner of the shop/restaurant with wine had only been open 10 days and his aspirations reminded me a lot of Martin's. Maria and I decided to pay R80 extra for a caravan and it has a TV, its own bathroom and even a deck. It was quite nice until the bathroom flooded during our showers. I have enjoyed "our family times" at meals and after when Shadwell talks to us about the next day and new conversations start. Topics so far are: marriage and licenses.

DAY 5
We made it to our camp site in Tsitsikamma and set up camp. After lunch Maria and I were doing dishes and everyone left for a cheetah walk. We weren't thinking and after realized they had left with all of our things including purses, money, and shoes. We had to do the canopy tour with strings tired around our flipflops and needed to still pay. In other news I, Hannah Rose Massey just did the WORLDS HIGHEST BUNGY!! It was sick (thats a good thing in slang)!! Now on the way to hike.

DAY 6
The hike yesterday was awesome! It was a bit more climbing than expected, but I like rock hopping and the waterfall at the end of the 3kms was spectacular. I tried to make the hike better by singing Christmas songs (and a few others) and also pretending the rocks were ostrich eggs. Maria didn't go the bungy in the morning but we got to go back after the hike and she DID IT! They let me walk out to the bridge and watch and I was acting like a proud mother when she finished and they were even playing Rihanna. After we got back we enjoyed hot showers and dinner. We hung out at the bar and stayed up longer thatn we had another other night (so only until midnight!). Freddy, the bartender have us the key to the extra room and we got to sleep in a bid with a down comforter. I was so excited! We're off to Addo now and I am amped about seeing lots of elephants :)

DAY 7
There was lots of elephants seen! Probably about 20 or so and countless Kudo, 2 lions, some Zebra, and some warthogs. It was nice to have a real game drive, well three, before leaving South Africa. We had a sunset, sunrise, and then morning drive. Janis, our truck, broke down yesterday afternoon causing us to enjoy our hot lunch (yes, hot lunch of fish fillets and "chips" or fries) on the N2 and then we got transport to Addo. After our guided sunset drive through Addo we got to eat at the restaurant because Janis still was not fixed. We ate delicious Kudo and after I was ready for some good sleep before the early morning and sleepless nights in Stellenbosch that followed. Today after seeing the sunrise and eating breakfast we went back into the park to look for more animals, but all I could do was start into space and think about how I only have 4 days left here in South Africa. I though to myself how is it that a semester can do by so fast, but be so great that I meet people and saw places I feel like I have known and seen for years? It is quite a weird feeling and while the excitement of being back home to friends, family, and good southern food starts to come, the disappointment of leaving what is now home and comfortable is difficult and seems nearly impossible. I have tried to compare it to my leaving Italy, but that is hard because it was a different time and place with different people. I found peace and independence in Italy, but I have found hope and love here in South Africa. I can say I have found pure joy in both my home in Sansepolcro and my home in Stellenbosch and that is nice. I just pray that my summer can bring back all of those feeling a positive way through reflection and new involvement with the people in my life and in the community I am a part of in Raleigh. I also hope these new few days, my last in Stellenbosch, are nothing short of perfect. I hope the goodbyes are really "see you soons" and I hope I can remember I will see each one of the people I love here again when "the time is right."

A few days thoughts...

2011-05-17T07:38:00.000-07:00

May 14th

I have no vision of the future as soon as I return home. I see beyond the summer though. I see myself working hard from August to May to graduate with lots to be proud of. I see myself working after I graduate, or coming back here, or studying. As for the summer there are so many places I COULD be, a few places I really WANT to be, and then the one big thing I SHOULD be doing and that is working. For now I must remember to do what I can for now while I am here and from there just remember what Proverbs 27:1 says—“Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring.” By trying to plan things I am “writing God out of the equation” and after all he has done for me that isn’t fair. My prayer is this, that whatever happens benefit God’s glorious kingdom and that I can take the love I have gained and learned through loving others here home with me in June.

One thing that has been constantly in my head this week is “Love conquers all” or "Amor onia vincit" as it was when Chaucer wrote it. I believe this is true and no matter in what context you are talking about if you have love for something you will have the passion and drive to make it happen.

May15th

Today I went to church in town and when I walked in I was overcome with comfort to be in a church similar to Vintage 21 (where I go in Raleigh) but also with encouragement that there were so many young people in Stellenbosch worshiping together. It was also confusing and convicting. I guess those negative feelings came because while many things have given me hope since being here and seeing so many young people in this setting ready to serve Christ is exciting, there is still the largest income gap in the South Africa in Stellenbosch. Left with something for me to think on...

May 16th

The last day at Lynedoch there were many emotions as presentations of videos highlighting a beautiful semester were shared. Tears filled my eyes several times watching the clips and seeing the photos and also hearing people talk about their time at Lynedoch. While we were presenting I awaited a phone call that the delivery for playground supplies had arrived. This was such an awesome reminder that we are really only beginning this kind of work, and that even our work at Lynedoch is only beginning.

May 17^th

I want to blog before my sister and John get here because I know that once a part of home comes to this place it will have an even more different feel. I don’t know what to expect for their time here as far as what they will get out of it. I hope that they can be more than tourists and put on lenses of someone who may have been here for longer, as I have. This may help this understand my love for this country, for Lynedoch, and for the awesome people I have met or fallen in love with. The people that I love most at home are coming to see where my heart is here—what a blessing. I see parts of my life coming to this place and so for once I may not just see this as Stellenbosch life and then when I talk to people at home think about it as my “other life.” Safe travels to all coming here, leaving this place after an awesome semester, or going on adventures!

³⁷ No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. ³⁸ For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons,neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, ³⁹ neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. - Romans 8:37-39

Afrikaburn-April 29th to May 1st

2011-05-17T07:27:00.000-07:00

AFRIKABURN
a beautiful weekend

With beautiful people

In this beautiful place

Celebrating beautiful life

In a beautiful way

Let the love continue…

I don’t know where to begin to explain this weekend. It was like living in a snowglobe for a weekend and it wasn’t until we drove back tonight that I realized how far from civilization we had been. Part of that is probably because everyone lives so well in community out there that you just see yourself in a whole new world.

When we explored the campsites we met some amazing people and there was so much love everywhere. There was a wall with quotes of love and thoughts and prayers and then we got to go to a tent with spiritual healing and they just spent time praying for us and the women prayed as if they knew Maria, Cindy, and I because the things they said in their prayers to us. They asked that love continuously flow through me and I pray that same prayer. I love to love and I love to give love and I was able to do both of those things not only this weekend but everyday here in South Africa. Because I wrote so long ago about Afrikaburn and because my friend Maria is such a great writer I will share some of her words about the weekend:

“This is the concept of Afrikaburn- there is absolutely no buying or selling of anything in the desert, whether it be water or drugs. Everyone willingly comes to Afrikaburn to contribute and to share themselves and their supplies with anyone and everyone camping along. There are families with young children as well as adults who come together in the desert for the same purpose- to experience one community with continual and uninhibited happiness. Artists work to create their own sculptures or create a themed camp that is open to everyone else at the event. It was these art pieces that formed the main event of Afrikaburn on Saturday night: the burning of their spirits… You live for others as they live for you; no boundaries, no questions, no expectations, just acceptance. Acceptance in its purest and most simplistic form. Afrikaburn showed me everything in humankind that I can stand to be proud for.” –Maria

Overjoyed

2011-05-02T16:00:00.000-07:00

"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, 'Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?' Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others." -Marianne Williamson

This quote is so beautiful, and when watching the youtube video of Meredith’s new president-elect I was happy she shared this with me. I am overwhelmed with emotions right now, most of them positive ones that are feeding really good energy throughout my pores as this amazing holiday wraps up. I am indeed filled with love right now; for my new friends here, falling in love, and just feeling loved returned to me from so many directions of my life (my friends here, my new family here with these people, my amazing family at home, my amazing friends in Raleigh and Laurinburg, and my community group). Perhaps this is why the greatest gift we can give IS… love.

I am also feeling overjoyed and when I think about why that may be it is because life seems beautiful right now. All $3,000 we wanted to raise for the playground has been donated and I could not be more excited about the things that I am hoping will happen out there in the coming weeks. I have heard it said by some that these kids may just use the playground for a bit, and then ruin it and our work would have been wasted. That is they don’t have the HOPE in these children that I do, and that I know the rest of the LSCE crew does. I see the FAITH these kids have and how no matter what material things they haven’t been given, they are so spiritually wealthy and it has been inspiring. You can only give these children more HOPE by showing them that there is someone who does believe they can do anything. It is important to remember that knowledge puffs up, but love builds up (1 Cor. 8:1). Therefore, if we love on these children and see the problems that are evident as problems and not the people as problems we can have progression. I don’t think it is fair to see a certain people as a problem. You can’t progress from that and that is why when someone enters a community like Lynedoch, they must do it with compassion and hope. I couldn’t stop thinking about Corinthians 13 when I was writing all of this: And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love (v13).

Another thing that stuck out in Dr. Jo Allen’s speech to Meredith College was when she spoke about change. She talked about COMFORT as a mixed blessing, and automatically I thought about my life here in South Africa and my time in Italy. I thought about how comforting it is to be at home, but how in both Italy and South Africa, and even at my cabin in the mountains I have a place to call home. She reminded students that it was critical to travel new pathways. I wouldn’t trade the things I have learned while abroad for anything in this world. They have shaped the person I am and the way I think. I am so thankful for the many pathways I have been able to walk down and how unfamiliar places became home to me. I am able to learn the most about myself in these places. Comfort can be found in many things and change is a beautiful thing if you are progressing towards peace for your life or the lives of others.

I end with this thought: Can I be this happy when there is still so much peace no left in the world? Someone has to be there to pull you up when you are down, or rather to go and sit by you and walk with you through your hard times. Maybe I have been given the strength of happiness for this moment so I can allow peace to grow from the happiness I may create in someone else. I also must remember that sometime all I can do it pray. I must believe in the power of prayer and allow the hurt I have been feeling for the people affected by the tornados to lift burdens, even from 5,000 miles away.

Running Fast or Keeping Still

2011-04-17T13:12:00.000-07:00

Right now all I want to do is jump on the next plane home and help my friends in Raleigh after the devastation of yesterday’s tornado, but at the same time today was another amazing day in South Africa. These opposing mixes of emotions have taken different tolls on me a couple times since being in South Africa. The desire to just LIVE more and more in every moment here in Stellenbosch combined with the strong desire to keep still and think about the people in Raleigh had me feeling a bit crazy. The past week was beautiful. I was able to be productive, but things were calm. I got to go to a coffee shop and work and do lots of “work” that doesn’t really qualify as work, but rather little things on my to do list like catching up with people, emailing people, and reflecting.

http://www.wral.com/weather/story/9455587/

The story, for people that don’t know about the tornado in Raleigh, NC where I go to school.

Today Chelsea (who is in my LSCE group at Lynedoch) and I went to lunch at Mrs. April’s house. She is the teacher for grade 5, which is the grade we have been working with every Monday. When I got the phone call from Mrs. April this morning I was not expecting to be invited to lunch, and once we got there I wasn’t expecting to eat my body weight in food. That is one thing Italy and South Africa have in common, when people have guests over they do NOT let them go hungry. Of course there was great conversation over the meal with her family and a few other friends, which made the afternoon so great. We got to talk with Mrs. April more about the Lynedoch community, the relationship between the school and the Sustainability Institute, the children, and her life and family. It was so great to have some quality conversation and I hope she stays true to her word and invites us to visit her family in Touwsriver. I believe that is where she said that they live. When she was speaking about all the surrounding towns today I felt that I needed to educate myself more on the surrounding areas and towns. I want to see as much of at least the Western Cape as I can before I go.

The perfect song always seems to come on when I am in one of these moods. I guess its God’s way of reminding me I am doing all I can and I AM in the right place. Maybe all I can do is pray. My hands and feet are doing God’s work in this place too, so I must remember that while I am frustrated that I can’t be back in Raleigh right now I am being used here in South Africa.

Today’s perfect song=David Lamotte, We Are Each Other’s Angels.

Well I hope I see you later
'Cause it's time for me to go
Someone just pulled over
Sure was good to know you
Go answer your calling
Go and fill somebody's cup
And if you see an angel falling
Won't you stop and help them up

'Cause we are each other's angels
And we meet when it is time
We keep each other going
And we show each other signs

Sometimes you will stumble
Sometimes you might fall down
Sometimes you will get lonely
With all these people around
You might shiver when the wind blows
And you might get blown away
You might even lose your colors
But don't you ever lose your faith

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U8H0wbdxbAM

Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people… -Galatians 6:10a

Time

2011-04-14T15:30:00.000-07:00

This notion of TIME or should it really be referred to as this GIFT of time?

Knowing that I have been in South Africa for three months now reminds me of the way in which time flies, but also the way in which time allows for growth in one self and in growth with relationships new and old. I’ve realized how close I am to some of my new friends here from both the US (the north especially), South Africa, and other countries. The beauty of time is that it is a certain period in which you have the chance to LIVE and in that amount of time whether it be four years in college, five months in South Africa, a week in Zambia, a weekend hiking and hanging out with friends, a day spent in the city, a night out with friends, an hour having coffee and building relationships, or a minute to kiss someone you love, that time is YOURS. You must do with you what YOU want and you must fit somewhere in all that time some space for YOURSELF.

I’ve learned that even the most extroverted person (I think I was guilty of being one of them at some point in life) needs time for reflection. When you educate yourself on some you may have observed or heard, you are reflecting on that and being a teacher for yourself. You are being your own teacher. I hate thinking “oh I wasted my time on this or that.” I rather like to think “ok, what can I take away from that even if I think my time should have been used for something else?” This is also the reason I think I hate to be bored, when really I should try to enjoy it. There can be productive reflection in boredom.

Because time is a gift that is of an unknown length in the grand scheme of life to us all, we have to make sure we just live and use our time wisely. How do I want to spend my time? Happily, healthy, helpful. What do I want to spend my time doing? With who do I want to spend my time? And then, why?

**This was my long tangent of free-writing waiting outside for Jewelry Making class to start on Tuesday. I didn’t put the pen down for 15 minutes and just wrote. I wanted to write about time because I spend so much time thinking about what I am going to do with all the rest of my time and sometimes I just want to live without thinking so much… don’t we all? Shouldn’t we all just want to LIVE without thinking?!

There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven:

A time to be born and a time to die,

A time to plant and time to uproot,

A time to kill and a time to heal,

A time to tear down and a time to build,

A time to weep and a time to laugh,

A time to mourn and a time to dance,

A time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,

A time to embrace and a time to refrain,

A time to search and a time to give up,

A time to keep and a time to throw away,

A time to tear and a time to mend,

A time to be silent and a time to speak,

A time to love and a time to hate,

A time for war and a time for peace.

I know that there is nothing better for men than to be happy and do good while they live.

That everyone may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all his toil- this is the gift of God.

-Ecclesiastes 3: 1-8, 12-13

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uUMM7lHwJfI&NR=1
"Time" By: Billy Porter- Song from my senior solo.

Seeing Things Cleary

2011-04-11T13:12:00.000-07:00

Today at Lynedoch I felt THANKFUL. I felt thankful for the beautiful day while arriving to class, thankful for the love that us LSCE students now have for one another, and even thankful for the new car on the train that allowed me to see clearly through the windows on my ride home for once. Many times these windows are too covered in dirt to see through them and the car has been vandalized so that it isn’t as clean. I have never cared much, but today I just felt spoiled when I got to ride in the new train car.

…Those were thoughts written exactly a week ago when I returned home from Lynedoch. Today was another great day, but the weather was hotter and the kids were back so we were teaching them again today. It was great to see them again, but I forgot how much they wore me out. We filled our time well today though, and it is a good thing we were able to because next week is our last week with just our learners. That is hard to believe. It is hard to believe the week went by as fast as it did. I wish I could blog like this every week about my week too. It is nice to share, but it is even nicer to just get it all out. Last Monday when I got home from Lynedoch, Martin told me that Conrad, the DJ at one of the night time spots, passed away. He was so young and it really hit hard with some of the younger people in town and many of the friends I have made. I began to think of people home a lot in this moment and that came back repeatedly throughout the week. I am glad I could hold these people up a bit after this lose, but it didn’t make it easier to watch young people upset because their friend passed away suddenly and had so much life left to live.
I thought a lot about how I don’t have much time left here in South Africa, especially if my weeks continue to fly by as they have. Next weekend we get to begin another long break. I’ll be going home with Martin for the Easter holiday. I guess it is important to point out that Martin is the guy I am dating here in South Africa. I can no longer avoid the fact that I am indeed in a serious relationship, but I also can’t ignore that I will be leaving him come June. It stirs up feelings I haven’t had in quite some time and it is exciting, scary, and strange all at once, but mostly exciting right now. Now that I have even cleared that up, I have let quite a bit out. May I continue to have a productive a week just as I have had a productive day today!

Run my dear
From anything
That may not strengthen
your precious budding wings…

For we have come
here not to take prisoners
Or confine our wondrous spirits,
But to experience ever
and ever more deeply
Our divine courage,
freedom and light
-Hatiz
Poem I received in a letter from Patricia.

What I did with my saturday evening

2011-04-02T15:00:00.000-07:00

This is the essay I just finished on my class field trip to the District Six and Holocaust Museums in Cape Town. Thought i'd share.

District Six Museum & Cape Town Holocaust Museum
The field trip to the District Six and Holocaust Museums in Cape Town was educational and allowed me to think about the issues of apartheid in a new context. I was able to reflect on the reality of apartheid South Africa when I saw the names of people who lived on the different roads throughout the neighborhood and heard stories of apartheid from our guide. Before the field trip I hadn’t really reflected on apartheid South Africa in comparison to Nazi Germany. When I began to compare the two throughout the field trip the realizations were eye opening but also scary.
Residents of District 6 phrased it like this: “living was cheap and life was precious.” Life was good for these people until one day when they were ripped away from their homes and moved to forty-two different sites outside of the city. The problems that would arise from this are still evident today. Blacks and coloreds were moved from their homes in what would become (and still be today) townships. They were the Cape flats, and what happened to their homes in District Six? They were all destroyed for “ethnic cleaning.” As if being ripped from your neighborhood wasn’t hard enough, the government convinced people that if they sold their homes they would benefit from it. It doesn’t appear to me that the neighborhood has the lively atmosphere it once did before the 1984 destruction, and I’m not sure that it ever could again. If each person in South Africa at the time of apartheid was seen as a human being and not as a black person or white person than people would have lived more peacefully, but because of the new laws made in the country this wasn’t possible. When people moved to these townships what began to happen very quickly was overpopulation, and poverty. This means that people weren’t living in proper shelter (there was asbestos in the roofing of the homes), nor were they able to take care of themselves properly (people contracting diseases such as TB and HIV/Aids). The once thriving social lives of the people suffered as well, because now they had to wake up at 5am to get to work and when they made it home they had to take care of their families before sleeping and starting the process over the next morning.
How do these stories relate to Nazi Germany? The answer lies in the discrimination and the inhumane conditions people were placed into. In Nazi Germany it was the Jews, gypsies, homosexuals, Jehovah’s witnesses, and black men. In Apartheid it was the blacks and coloreds. Science can’t make sense of these horrific truths of racism, because all they can prove is that we are all part of one race, and that is the entire human race. So then why was this done and who thought it was ok? That is the question I think has to be answered so that you can pick up the pieces and learn from it so that it doesn’t happen again. What stirred some emotion up for me was that it was just a couple years after the Holocaust that the first racist laws were put into place officially in South Africa. The people who were running things knew what was done in Germany, and just as the Nazi youth and society had been brainwashed, so had the people running the government in South Africa. I think that one has to stop asking why they thought the things they did at the time and move to how could they think those things. This is because you can look at the history of Nazi Germany and Apartheid South Africa and get the answers of why they may have thought this treatment was ok, but it is harder to find out how a human being wouldn’t realize it wasn’t ok. I think you would have to change the mind of every racist for an issue like this to be fully resolved. What you can do to start that process is educate.
Now that it is 2011, we have to take what’s happened in the past almost century and begin some peace transformation. If we educate people on what happened during the Holocaust or during apartheid they will be more likely to see that what happened was inhumane and that we should not let it happen again. I think you can perhaps teach these things in a reverse manner. By this I mean that in Nazi Germany there was a subject in school called racial science and today you could teach a class on equality for example. Much of what I have learned about apartheid since I have been here has taken an emotional toll of me, but I know it is important and needs to be taught to many people. People have to really grasp what happened even if it is hard to bring it back to the surface. One reason the Holocaust, although it happened some time ago, hasn’t been buried in history is because it can be used as an educational tool.

When talking in the conflict transformation or peace building context, we must first educate others like discussed, but then plan for organized discussion on what things look like in present day. The museums are both very good educational bases for the issues of racism and injustice. Perhaps members or staff of the District Six Museum can develop some space for open discussions about the issues of apartheid, because at least in my opinion there hasn’t been enough. The reason I feel like way is because it is evident to me that while apartheid may have ended in 1994, it is still present. People are still living inhumanely in townships and on farms outside of Stellenbosch. Through my experiences at Lynedoch Primary I know that there is still injustice. Until those injustices have been addressed I think there is room for discussion.

Whoever would love life and see good days must keep his tongue from evil and his lips from the deceitful speech. He must turn from evil and do good; he must seek peace and pursue it. For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their prayer, but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.
-1 Peter 3:10-12

Through Service Learning I have learned...

2011-04-01T08:52:00.000-07:00

Through service learning I have learned the importance of a good relationship, the beauty of reflection, and the gift of dynamics within a group. These are just a few things, and even putting that into words is hard at times. I am humbled almost to tears every time I think about the relationships I have made with just the other LSCE students, then I see the LSCE students with the Lynedoch students every week and I know we are doing something great here. I can see what can be done when people work together and listen to one another. Listening is one important quality I have learned because when you listen to the people are you are creating relationships with, you hear their ideas and you can change the whole dynamic of a group just by listening. When I see myself doing work in the future those qualities of listening and also respecting are going to be important as a designer. Whether it is in urban planning, sustainable/urban design, or community development, there will be a community which will be a key factor in the decisions made. I am thankful for what this class has taught be so far, and anticipate the other things I realized I learned once I am back home in the US.

This was my journal entry from this week, but thought it might be nice to share because this service learning/community development class is a HUGE part of my time here and I am very fortunate to have been a part of it!
If you want to see what our group is working on outside of the classroom PLEASE take a minute and check out our blog and donate to the building of a playground for the students at Lynedoch Primary: http://lpsplayground.blogspot.com/

More thoughts from my break...

2011-03-30T06:12:00.000-07:00

I realized when I was only halfway done saying some of my thoughts that they were just all over the place. Now ill finish :)

PRIVILEGED-March 23rd (PM)
Today I feel overwhelmingly privileged. Perhaps it is part of my journey to stop and realize i'm privileged, but to then think of for what reason that may be. Not only is it a blessing to have come to South Africa, but to be here in Zambia, with the amazing people I have built relationships with and to know I have people that love me in South Africa when I return Friday and people that love me back in the US now, when I return in June, and forever. I am grateful to be loved, to feel love for others, and to be falling in love right now.
From The Last Summer (of You & Me) By:Ann Brashares
"Healing wasn't always the best thing. Sometimes a hole was better left open. Sometimes it healed too thick and too well and left separate pieces fused and incompetent, and it was harder to reopen after that."
"Sometimes I see it as a tricky mountain pass between two valleys, other times it's like perilous straits connecting two lands. Partly it's the fear that I won't be able to get back. I'll turn around and the cloud will have settled over the mountain, or the waters will have risen and shifted and there will be no way home... The real fear is that I won't be able to go home"

It's become easy for me to make myself at home with the people i've met and in the places i've gone. This will be night 4 at Jollyboys and already I feel at home amongst the colorful patterns on the cushions and by the pool reading. Maybe it's not the actual goodbye, but the fear that back home it isn't how I left it or that the comfort I feel in one place won't be able to be felt in another. How can two places or persons be the same though? Every place and person is different and unique for a reason. Things won't ever be the same when I go home at any point because things happened for those people when I was away and things (a lot of things already!) will have happened for me.

HEADING HOME-March, 25th
We're headed out of Zambia now and I can't believe break is almost over. I hate that it went by as fast as it did about as much as I hate the amount of money I spent (no birthday/Christmas gifts for a while!), but I am also very happy and grateful for the time I spent in Livingstone and for the people I got to spend it with. I learned that I like control on this trip because I planned many of our activities. I didn't mind it because then I knew it was planned. It did create frustration, which may have outweighed the control towards the end. When people wanted plans changed I kind of felt like the blame was put on me, but the trip was well worth the planning it took and also the money spent, because I will never get a chance to do something like this in the future (as far as I can see at least). As we prepare to return to South Africa I am excited to be back "home" and also back to the friends I have missed.

The Beginning of the Bucket List

2011-03-28T12:48:00.000-07:00

My time here is just about half way over and I can't believe all that has happened already. This past week I flew to Zambia with some close friends and we were able to do lots of activities. I am happy I had the chance to go on such an awesome trip. My parents are seriously the best for letting me go. Unfortunately coming home I must have eaten something bad because I got sick when I got home, and this was AFTER realizing someone had stolen my card information in Zambia and about $300 in total. That was a frustrating way to start the weekend before having to return back to school and teaching my grade 5 students at Lynedoch. Throughout the week I was able to journal... A LOT! I even read an entire sappy summer novel and started a good book by Anthony Bourdain called Kitchen Confidential.

I'll share some of my journals and where I was journaling from.

Where I sat on the 21st

I decided it was time I start a bucket list since a lot of the stuff I did in the past week was pretty adventurous!
"I've decided i'm at a point where i've done some pretty cool stuff and still there is a bit more i would like to do before my time comes. It's not that i'm trying to think of the end in some messed up way, it's just that when I make goals I have something to work towards. So here I begin the list as I sit by a pool make of stones with a fountain and waterfall, reading a summer love story book. May the list be created so that I can live a fuller life working to see and learn more from the places I go and people I meet along the way.
BUCKET LIST:
-Go to all 50 states (I have about 26 done)
-Go to all seven natural wonders (I have been to the Grand Canyon and Victoria Falls)
-Go to twenty countries (I have been to Mexico, Italy, England, Scotland, South Africa, and Zambia)
-Make every recipe in a cookbook (a slightly healthy one is probably a good idea!)
-Hike 25 mountains (I have done at least 5?)
-Bungi Jump
-Skydive
-Read the Bible cover to cover
-MORE TO COME

March 23rd (I thought about a lot this day but this is just a little)
I've only been in Zambia since Sunday and i'm learning that distance makes the heart grow fonder. I am having familiar feelings of caring about someone as much as myself and putting a person into images of things to come. Do I still need time for myself? Doesn't someone ALWAYS need time for themselves? I have to find the balance. I need time for the word and with Christ. My faith has kept me on my feet here many times and I have to remember that...I need to learn Afrikaans... I think about life back home and what the next few years will being for myself and my family. It is crazy and exciting and I am so blessed. How will things be different when I return home?

I've been reading C.S. Lewis' Mere Christianity. I have to read it slow and take notes in order to process it the way I want. I have another one of his books at home with excerpts from this one so it is nice to finally get the full book. I reflecting on some of it over break. I really like his reminder that there isn't real happiness apart from God. I mean it makes sense. How can you be fully happy unless you know that there is something better than everything here at every minute of everyday?! There is plenty of poverty and war around us to try and trick us into believing that there is something other than God, but "God designed human to run on himself" so we must rather see poverty and hunger as fuel for our spirits to become fruitful. I love the quote near the end of this particular chapter then Lewis says
"You can shut him up for a fool. You can spit at him and kill him as a demon, or you can fall at his feet and call him Lord and God."

I'm Home

2011-03-13T14:17:00.000-07:00

"I never knew of a morning in Africa when I woke that I was unhappy."-Ernest Hemingway

This weekend I have stayed in Stellenbosch and for the most part in my room like a hermit crab. The two good things about this were that I could recover from a nasty cold (still hoping that is all it is) and that I could save a little bit of money. I was going to go hiking and do some cliff jumping, and also surf. I decided against the hiking last minute and we cancelled on the surfing because it was becoming not worth it. Friday I had a great day at Lynedoch, after not feeling so well on Thursday. By Friday night I was feeling bad again and had already gotten emotional in class at Lynedoch. I came home because I couldn’t stay out with everyone any longer (they had more energy than me) and just started missing home. I knew it was because I wasn’t feeling well and needed to rest. I have gotten better already and am anticipating an amazing semester break trip in a week.

At Lynedoch Friday I needed some alone time and wrote a little bit while sitting outside in the garden: “I think about how long I’ve been here and the time I’ve spent with new friends and I’m shocked by the fact that we’re almost to the halfway point. Then, I think about the beautiful relationships that are developing and it’s no surprise that it’s March already. In the past 2 years or so home has been wherever I am at a given moment. I wasn’t quite ready to say I was home in South Africa in January when I arrived, but I am home now. It’s interesting to feel this way when yesterday I missed home very much after waking up feeling terrible. We were eating dinner at a restaurant owned by an Italian man (my other home in Italy came to mind quickly) and after missing home most of the day I was trying to just be present where I was. At this moment a familiar smelled seeped into my nose and I saw an old man smoking a pipe. I couldn’t hold back my emotions any longer and got a bit upset (Dad, don’t worry it was because he had a pipe, not because he was old, that made me think of you and home). Maybe part of the reason I’m feeling at home is because I spent another great night with friends or perhaps it’s because I’m at Lynedoch right now journaling in the grass with the “African sun” on my back. Whatever the explanation, it’s good to be HOME… finally.”

My emotions have definitely been all over the place this weekend, but I end it still feeling like I am now at home in this place and I am ever so grateful for the people around me.

“Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for men, for he breaks down gates of bronze and cuts through bars of iron.” –Psalm 107:15-16

Community Development

2011-03-12T07:07:00.000-08:00

This is just a reflection on some of my work at Lynedoch from my Learning for Sustainable Community Engagement course at Lynedoch Primary school. The experience I have had at Lynedoch has been humbling, rewarding, challenging and emotional.

The Development Context
I have learned that development is a process and you can’t rush that process. Grant's analogy of a flower opening organically puts it well. You can’t open the flower yourself or then it dies. In the development context you must always allow things to work organically while considering factors and dynamics of a community. If you create space for growth and hope, within a community, then levels of ignorance decrease. I have grown as a community member because I have listened to my classmates and tried to really process their opinions. I have remained open-minded and continue to try to let things work out as they will. I always try to make time to reflect because this is a very important step in my development as well.

Relationship Building
Relationships are essential in the community development context and I have understood their importance more and more as the class has progressed. My relationships with my small group are important because everyone should feel comfortable enough to be honest and hold each other accountable for our work in the classroom. When there have been small problems we have talked them through and seen where the other person was coming from. I have learned how important it is to not be lazy in my relationships with the kids and my group because this is holding me and the people around me back from learning more. I am sometimes physically or emotionally drained when I come to or leave class, but try to remember while at Lynedoch I must stay energized so that people can work better with me. It is better to under promise and over deliver than it is to make big promises to people and not keep them (learned this from Grant). I have to remember that I made a promise to my class to be attentive and I also have to keep my promise to complete the designs for the playground in a timely fashion.

Reciprocity and Enabling Empowerment
I have not always been a good listener and I think that it is really important when it comes to enabling empowerment. You have to be able to give people a chance to share their opinions and you have to listen so you can consider how they may be helpful in the community. This means that you must give up some of your power and privilege of decision making so everyone has a say. You are giving up a bit of control and trusting the people in the community that you have made relationships with. I like that the educators are always reminding students that they have a choice and I have seen the students think creatively when they remember that. Recently we taught the kids about their rights and I think it is important for them to know that even as children they have rights. This connects again to the empowerment because when children know they have choices and rights they will be empowered.

Poverties
It is hard to completely understand the poverty that these children live in on multiple levels, because to really understand poverty you have to feel poverty. That is perhaps why Ghandi said “Poverty is the worse form of violence.” You can sometimes only do so much for an impoverished person, especially if the poverty is family poverty or individual poverty. To separate poverty up a bit has been helpful for me, because I think that many people live in poverty in this world but it is on many different levels. It is helpful for me to connect poverty to the Bio Ecological System because you can better find on what level someone is experiencing poverty. These kids may be getting the essential things they need to survive but because their social environment is lacking they are still impoverished. I am trying to remember that poverty can’t be addressed alone, it has to be eradicated.

Creating New Knowledge Spaces through Community Engagement
A new knowledge space was created for me from the first day at Lynedoch. I was already looking at things differently after the first class. Things are so hierarchical in the US sometimes and thinking about working on the same level of everyone in a community is a new way of thinking. We have to work collaboratively not only with our group, but with our educators and with the students. That is why we have to understand that things are always changing and be open to letting them flow. IN a new knowledge space you have to be able to adapt because you are in a community learning about how things function for the people in it. This class has created learning opportunities in incredible ways for me.

Good Leader within the Community Development Context
I believe to start with the idea that “people are more important than the process” (Grant Demas) in the community development context is best because you are aware that you must create a space to build relationships first thing. You cannot position yourself higher than the people you are working with, but rather place yourself beside them so that you can understand them. This connects to the round table idea, where people can all sit in a circle at one level and see each other equally. The good leaders in our history have been people that went in and worked with a community, rather than for (Christ, Mother Theresa, and Nelson Mandela). Because you are working with people, you must be able to be flexible and adjust to the dynamics of people and processes. It must stay an organic process as much as possible.
If you don’t have a passion to work in community development you will not be able to place yourself correctly with the people in the community and so that is a necessary quality. You must love what you do because “the opposite of love is laziness” (Grant Demas). If you see everyone as an equal and love on them, they will learn from you, as a leader, how they should treat others. You have to consider where persons have come from and the dynamic of the group as a whole. This must be done with patience so no one gets frustrated in the process of working. There also has to be respect which comes from loving people properly. You have to respect and love the people you make relationships with so that you can challenge and support one another, no matter who is on what level. Lastly, don’t forget to take time to reflect on what you are learning about a community and the people you are creating relationships with.

Thoughts Poured Out

2011-03-06T08:36:00.000-08:00

It’s hard to believe I haven’t blogged in so long, because I really enjoy getting things out and having enough time to sit down and write about it. It means that I get to reflect back on it. Guess we have the rest of the entire month of February to catch up on. How did that month just slip away?!

After enjoying a Thursday to myself I spent the weekend at Table Mountain with my group. It was beautiful, but I learned that hiking down, rather than up, Table Mountain will screw up your knees. I was in some serious pain the next morning. It was on this same day though that I was able to think about the great gifts God has given us. You can’t stand on top of Table Mountain, look around at its beauty and not be speechless. The beauty of this place is just something you have to experience, and I realized after last weekend in the center of Cape Town that I may enjoy the city, but I’m not a city girl. I like hiking and enjoying a good hike with good friends. Its free, it’s fun, its good exercise, and wherever I hike always seems beautiful enough to leave me joyful.

I’m still not sure if I’ve comprehended that I’m in this place. Knowing that I have been here for well over a month now I am thinking about where my head and my heart are. You get caught up in the excitement of going out with new really great friends, and the time slips away. Some of that time is spent looking too far ahead or thinking about something that you can’t change from the past. I want to reach the goals I have made for myself while I am here, but I want to make sure I am making small goals rather than large unreachable ones. I have to constantly stop myself, amidst being present for my friends, and ask MYSELF the question: what is really best for Hannah? When I know the answer I can work towards it and set limits so I don’t cross boundaries. For example I’ve learned that if I want to be respected, I have to first respect myself. I must not let burdens of my life here, or of the things going on at home crush me. I remember hearing this when listening to a Vintage21 sermon the other week. I must be PRESENT in what is happening (and what I want to happen) here. God has entrusted me with a great privilege and that is to come here and do something awesome. I can doubt my doubt, but I must remember Christ is with me until the very end of the age (Matthew 28:19-20). People ask how I am here, so far away from home, but it is because I know I am supposed to be here. God has said “never will I leave you, never will I forsake you.” “The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid” (Hebrews 13:5-6).

Service learning has been going so well and now we are working to make a playground for the kids. To see that come together would be incredible (http://lpsplayground.blogspot.com/). I have to get busy with the designs. I have to stay on top of my game if I want things to get finished! I am really in South Africa though. It’s quite crazy to talk about a place for so long and then getting there and learning all about it. As much as I hate reading for my Arcadia class at times, or having to ride into Cape Town I am learning a lot from that course. I must see every class or trip as a gift and opportunity to learn more.

As I am learning through my community development course I need to keep somewhat of an empty agenda and just give time to learn and take in the things around me. I have to approach projects with humility and take time to learn about them so the results can be lasting and projects permanent. We also talked about laziness being the opposite of love. That has stuck with me because I have found it to be so true. I have really come to love some people here and I have seen love given to me, but laziness is present in neither. I feel like I was recently in a relationship where I wasn’t giving enough love and thinking that it could have been because I was being lazy made it make a bit more sense. In a good relationship neither party will be lazy, but rather want to put their heart into it. It’s loving unconditionally.

I leave with a story that left me a bit of a mess after Thursday, but I am just now blogging about it. Today I got really emotional when a woman in KFC sat beside us and wanted some of my friends food. We gave her a small piece of chicken and some fries, assuming she would then leave. She in fact stayed beside us to eat. When my friend finished his chicken he had a napkin pull of almost bare chicken bones. The woman than motioned to him that she wanted his left overs. She took food that was garbage to him as her dinner. It was hard to watch and I dismissed my self from the table before I got emotional. I am not sure why it has stayed on my heart so much but I wanted to share it. "Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for men, for he satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things." (Psalm 107:8-9)

I know I have left things out, but I am in the middle of lots of work and my mind is in a lot of places. Hope to lay some more of it out for myself, which will probably get done by blogging again this weekend. Spring break was booked on Friday!! I am flying to the Zambia side of Victoria Falls and I am SO excited. I am going with 4 of my closest friends here.

MY Thursday.

2011-02-17T13:10:00.000-08:00

So I feel like I have had lots to blog about, but I have been busy and also haven't been able to get Hannah time as much as I should be giving it to myself. I gave myself some time today and journaled so I will share

I am really enjoying my Thursday and that's because it has been MY Thursday. I have been able to wake up and go to a pilates class at the gym, have a small but filling lunch of leftovers, read in the grass in front of the beautiful theology school, and now I am at a cute cake shop and restaurant enjoying a cold water, a freshly baked carrot cupcake, and a chai tea. It has been nothing short of a refreshing day. While sitting under the tree reading I was able to reflect on community (thanks to my community development class readings). I have thought about the community I have already created here and the community I miss at home. I am so thankful to feel part of a community at home that I can miss while I am away and continue to keep in my prayers. Right now I find myself humbled by the new friends which I have made in just one month. If someone tried to make me go home right now they would be fighting me to get me on a plane. I like the idea of making Thursdays my days, but I would still love to connect with an organization or urban planner. Habitat and BTK (the hiking club) have events just around the corner and the wine society's first meeting is tomorrow. There's a lot to look forward to! Spring break plans are in the works (man how I wish I had a money tree for this reason).

The theology school that I sat outside of today to read! And I checked out some C.S. Lewis that I have been wanting to read.

great afternoon :)

Hiking Table Mountain this weekend! And i'm sure i'll find some other things to do :)

I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well -Psalm 139:14

What in this world gives you a "no"?

2011-02-10T07:21:00.001-08:00

For our Transformation and Peacebuilding class we were given journals (that means I am journaling for 2 of three classes now, yay!) and the first day we were to do free writing on the question what in this world gives you a “no.” We wrote without stopping for ten minutes and I enjoyed reading back over some of the things I wrote. Here are SOME thoughts from the free write:

“I see sex trafficking, especially with young women and I say NO. I see children starving and struggling while their parents are treating them unfair and I say NO. I see people without homes and I say NO, that person deserves some place to be safe. I see gays and lesbians stared at and judged and I say NO. I want to just say WHY? Why can their not be interracial couples? Why can’t there be better schools? Why can’t there be jobs for everyone? I feel like I get more NOs than Yeses for things and that makes this world seem pretty messed up. The NOs that I have usually lead to WHYs and the WHYs usually lead me curious, angry, or upset. I want to take action, but I must first learn about what I am taking actions for. I see people hurt and upset, not thinking that there is some way out and I say NO. There is at least one way and that way is finding joy in Christ’s love. Find joy in something you love, a person, place or thing (although that one can get dangerous). Be passionate about something. A lot of things I become passionate about are things that I see and say NO to. I find hope and answers in Christ, and I find love in family and friends. I want people in the world not to think NO to their hopes and dreams. I want people who ask why? to their NOs like me to stand up and get an answer. This will help the world find more peace because if people refuse a NO and try to find ways to make things possible, the world could be better."

In Full Swing... Almost

2011-02-10T07:20:00.000-08:00

Things are beginning to feel normal and get in full swing, but not quite. This week was the first day in the classroom, second week of jewelry making class, first day in Transformation and Peacebuilding, and first week of our Arcadia course in Cape Town. There are still a lot of firsts taking place and a few things that haven’t quite fallen into place yet. The Learning for Sustainable Community Engagement Course is seriously a huge privilege. I have to remind myself that I am really lucky to be going out to these schools every week to help these children and learn about community development. I wanted to learn more about community development and urban planning before I came and I have recently started thinking a lot more about graduate school. I am not sure if that is a good thing or a bad thing, but I am running with the feelings I have inside. I think to be really happy with my degree from Meredith I am going to want to use my design skills in an urban setting. I am excited to start this Transformation and Peacebuilding course. I would never be able to take something like this with my busy schedule at home, but I get the chance here. It is a very interactive class which taps into your emotions and how you really feel about certain situations or conflicts. Jewelry making remains fun for the first part, but this week I got very frustrated but I polished and repolished my bookmark. I was ready to move on, but next week we get to move on to making rings. The Arcadia may get a bit frustrating because it is later in the day and we have to ride into Cape Town every week, but hopefully it will be informative and a good way to get closer to the other Arcadia students.

What I would really like to fall into place is something to take up a bit of my time on Wednesdays and Thursdays. I want to find someone working in the urban planning field, so I can see how they work and what they are doing in the surrounding communities. I also want to see if the local organization Atheart (an HIV/Aids organization) can use me for activities that take place throughout the week. Another big hope is finding a church that I can attend ever weekend I am in Stellenbosch and not away on vacation. I have realized how much it means to have my community group back in Raleigh and how much I love calling Vintage21 my church every Sunday. I have got to attend the first membership class series possible when I return! I am very happy about the things going on in the church back home and about what the people in my community are doing. I know that I need to plug in more to the beautiful city of Raleigh when I get back home and not just at Meredith, because after all I only have a year left there. There are a lot of emotions I feel like I had to leave at home, and I have to remember that every problem I left that wasn’t completely solved will not get solved any better 5,000 miles away. I have to remember the Lord is present in every place I go and he will help bear my burdens, because I am his. I am a daughter of the most High God.

I was reflecting on Hebrews 13 the other night and it was a comforting passage to come across, because it reminded me that Jesus is the same yesterday today and forever (v8). It also talks about the city which is to come. I reflected on this and realized that the city of Raleigh, of Stellenbosch, the community of Lyndedoch, they are all cities which have not been completely transformed. There are things to be done in this city, in Raleigh back home and in every community everywhere. People must find their place and work to create something great.

Flee from the evil desires of youth, and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart -2Timothy 2:22

First Day in the Classroom

2011-02-08T11:11:00.001-08:00

Heading to the first day of class at Lynedoch was a bit nerve racking. I wasn’t sure what to expect even though Chelsea, Thijs and I has plans made. We didn’t know how long things would take or how the kids would react to everything. Mrs. April did a great job of putting us at ease and making us feel like no matter what we couldn’t mess up. We began with introductions and I realized that after the first few had gone answers were becoming very similar. They all seemed to like net ball or soccer and KFC. I think it helps point out that a goal for the semester should be to show students that they are all individual and finding the qualities they have that others don’t is what makes them unique.

Once we were back inside students wrote on each other’s backs things they had learned or things they knew about each other. It was a pretty good activity, but I realized I have so much more to learn about these kids than their favorite color and I hope that they can have more to write at the end of the semester than the face that to them I am “a very beautiful lady.” It will be smart to come back to this activity. We realized that students were a bit more timid around us and so I wasn’t sure how much of what we were saying they understood. We did an activity where we wanted the students to write what love meant to them using words or pictures. We gave them what we thought were proper instructions, but they simply drew hearts and swirls. Either they will get less timid (which I assume is because of our race) or we will just have to understand that they understand less English than we think. I guess my number one hope after the first week is that we can begin to become open minded to one another and therefore work even better together (this being my small LSCE group and the Grade 5 group).

I have more to add about my new class, Conflict Transformation and Peacebuilding but I will write on my day off!

Classes Have Begun

2011-02-03T10:32:00.000-08:00

This semester I am part of a service learning course called Learning for Sustainable Community Engagement. Monday we had our first meeting in the village of Lynedoch where there is a primary school. We will be helping in the classrooms on Mondays and on Fridays we will be in lectures about community development. While I know this class is going to demand a lot from me, I am very interested in its context and think it will help me even more when deciding what to do with urban or community planning in the future. We had introductions and then divided up into groups for our teaching. This reminds me a lot of what we did in Italy where I was in an elementary school class and taught students English. This semester I have grade 5 at Lynedoch Primary School, and the students will be learning more about life skills since they already know a lot of English. These students all take the train to get to school and stay until 2pm each day. The average income in the household is 700R and that is about 100 American dollars. We will take the resources available to learn about civil engagement and hopefully teach the students things they can keep with them. Grant is the director of the program and he is very well educated in community development and psychology. He will be teaching us about how we can position ourselves in this community and then how to address those abstract needs of the community. I really hope all I learn here can be really beneficial when I return home and continue to student community development.
I went to a Conflict Studies class today (Thursday) and as much as I am interested in the topics that we will be talking about in the class, I am not sure that I am ready for the course load. I think that I may try and volunteer on Thursdays instead and maybe Wednesdays as well. I am hoping that I can set aside time in my schedule to research HIV/Aids more (since the class conflicts with my jewelry making class) and read more about peace resolutions, since that is what I am missing with the conflict studies class. I am also hoping that in the next week I find an organization in town that I can volunteer with. I have to remember to make this experience my own and balance having fun and planning trips with class, service learning, and volunteering.

This weekend is a Robben Island trip with the Arcadia students, then hopefully church Sunday with some dinner plans. We have the first Varsity Cup match Monday. Its gonna be awesome!

Eat drink and be merry, for tomorrow will die -dmb

Crazy Beautiful Life

2011-01-30T14:53:00.000-08:00

The rest of the week has been busy and exciting with lots of fun and little sleeping. It finally caught up with me and I must get to bed soon, but before classes started off tomorrow (service learning orientation for me) I thought I blog about the RAG week events and the weekend with the rest of the Arcadia students.

At the beginning of the week I listened to the vintage21 sermon from a few weeks ago, because I am trying to keep up with the series we have right now because I am really passionate about the church and what it really means to be a child of God and member of the church. That is just what Pastor Tyler preached about in the sermon from January 17th. I continue to think about my community in Raleigh and it is strange not to be there in a time where my church family in Raleigh is talking about being a body. I tried to think about the universal church as a place I can find comfort while I am here, but still want to be connected to my local church. I must continue to pray about what a local church will look like here for me. I hope to visit the local Presbyterian church, but also some other services where many students from Stellenbosch are going. It is always exciting when I get to see young people passionate about God and serving him through actions. Maybe tomorrow in the service learning orientation I can begin to meet with and talk to people about what their faith looks like in relation to service learning. It is just so connected to all I have thought about for my time here in South Africa and even for the things I involved myself with at home. While the church is working together as a whole body in Raleigh, I think if we worked together universally we could make huge changes in beautiful and unimaginable ways. I have already seen love and compassion with new friends in South Africa. They comforted me with love this past week when I was upset about Smokey. They consider the hearts of all people from our own country and from the people we are meeting here from all over the world. I hope we can continue to encourage one another along and be a family building up love for each other and the lives of the people here in South Africa.

And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. –Hebrews 10: 24

Switching gears to the events of the week, I must talk about the skits that the first year students (Freshmen) had to perform on Thursday. Each first year dorm has to create a skit and they normally incorporate dances, which they obviously practiced more than the rest of the script as we know from over hearing practices all week leading up to Thursday. To any of my Meredith friends this would sound a LOT like Cornhuskin, and that it was. I felt like I was home for a bit. It was great to see guys doing these skits too though, because just like some Cornhuskin dances these were clever and fun, but also well choreographed and practiced. There was even a parade Saturday, but because we were with Arcadia we missed it.

Friday Lenny picked us up for an Arcadia trip, which would give us the chance to meet the rest of the Arcadia students from University of Western Cape and Cape Town University for the first time. There are 31 of us in total, but because I am so close to my “Stellies” already we sort of ended up clinging together a lot on the trip. I did meet some other cool students and we hope to spend some weekends in Cape Town. We were taken to a place called High Africa, which was an adventure center with a river. We did a low ropes course (Saturday was the high ropes course and swimming) and after dinner found out they did in fact have a bar if people wanted to drink. Although we originally planned to take a break for a night, we shared some drinks and talked with new friends and then a whole lot with the staff at the camp about South Africa and all sorts of things. After everyone went to sleep of COURSE myself, Maria, and Justin were the 3 people still up with the guys that work there (note that we had to be up at 8am and its like 2am at this point). We got to sit under the stars by a river in the middle of mountains in South Africa. The stars were more beautiful than stars I have seen anywhere. We could see the Milky Way clouds and Mars. I was blown away. How can you not believe in an awesome God with something that beautiful?! Perfect moment of joy—check. Few have already come, and many more remain.

Love the Time

2011-01-26T07:52:00.000-08:00

Today I cried for the first time since I left for South Africa. My dad called at what was about 7:30am at home, and I knew something was up when he was so worried about me hearing him. He let me know that yesterday morning Smokey passed away. It’s so hard to believe I can’t be home because Smokey was my baby, my beautiful grey cat named after the best mountains ever. She always slept with me and I loved her, so did everyone else that ever came over. I was scared that my parents were going to tell me something had happened to my grandmother, which would have been even harder of course. That put things into perspective, but didn’t make losing Smokey any easier. She may have just been a cat but she was the best cat ever! It was one of the first times I really wanted to be home and was sad not to be. I have been so happy here and this just turned the day around. I had just had sushi with Hannah Lyon who is studying here for the year and I was with Kaitlin and Cindy, two really good friends I have made. I was glad that there were some close friends around just to be there. Smokey was like a friend, even if she was just a cat and for the first time in a long time I have just been upset.

In just the past few hours I have put into perspective some of the emotions I have had in the past few years. I have realized that recently I cry less and that getting upset doesn’t come as often as it did just a few years ago. I guess I have been able to find some comfort in things I wasn’t able to before. When I got back to my room I played my itunes and Love the Time by David Bailey came on. What a perfect song, because I was thinking about how much I loved having Smokey around and how I always looked forward to getting home to have a sleeping buddy.

Love the time it takes to watch the sun rise
Love the time the thunder splits the air
Love the time the snow covers the rooftops
Love the time we have to share
-david m. bailey

The other Arcadia students got me sunflowers when they were out. They are too sweet. It is nice to be creating family here already. Maria asked if I wanted an elephant she has seen at the store and I had been looking for one since I forgot my bear at home so I figured it was the perfect day to get a little something like that so introducing my new elephant (not that I need another). He will have a name after the night I am sure.

Smokey lived a good life and she will be missed, but tonight I shall celebrate her awesome and long cat life of 16 years!

More Thoughts

2011-01-25T04:22:00.000-08:00

I began to write in my journal some when we get free time and I haven’t had internet, but here some of my entries.

January 18th
A cleaning woman came in and took my trash and while I really appreciated it I felt bad because not even in my dorms at Meredith did they come and take your trash out of your rooms. The comfortable accommodations make adjusting a bit easier (the bed is quite hard, but I’m easy to please and can sleep anywhere), but I must remind myself of the reasons why I came to South Africa. It wasn’t to be pampered or sleep on a comfortable bed every night; it was to go to school to meet awesome people and most importantly for me, to volunteer. I agree that going abroad to get a different look at things and learn different is great, but at the same time I appreciate learning opportunities I have at Meredith and came here for more than that. The first downhill phase has come and after lugging pounds of groceries all the way back to our apartment (which was twice as far as the store at home that I drive to). We didn’t get to put internet on our computers yet. I know how much I appreciate it and count on it for entertainment and communication, but it is nice to not have it and get to know everyone right here better. The woman who was here earlier cleaning said that the “white girls” who stayed in my apartment last semester didn’t ever talk to her. I asked her about living in Stellenbosch and she said that she lives here but has to walk an hour home every day. And to think that I complained about a 20 minute walk with groceries. My, the way things are being put into perspective.

January 19th
While it was nice to get a few minutes of internet today, there wasn’t much I felt like I was missing. Most of my emails were junk (minus a few from mom and pops), and while large numbers of Facebook notifications and messages from my best friend are appreciated and exciting it’s nice to know I must be in the right place. Orientation helped make things better because there was a set schedule (I’m finally admitting that the darn things help my sanity) and we got to meet even more students. I finally met some students from NC (yay south!) and they even go to ASU (oh NC mountains). It appears I can’t help but be active and never bored no matter where I am so hopefully I am getting involved with Habitat, ISOS (an international student organization that takes us on trips) and the Kayamandi project, and the dance society.

January 20th
Because the currency here is so different (divide the prices by 7 to get an average amount) we have been joking about how we are “spending mad rand.” Well, after eating out a little too much and going out (I won’t say TOO much yet) my “mad rand” is disappearing a bit fast. Orientation activities continued today and I discovered one of my classes is 9 credits. I am excited for it because we will be volunteering, but the scheduling process doesn’t work the way I wish it did. At orientation there was a really awesome guy who taught us isiXhosa, the language of many South Africans (especially in areas like Kayamandi). We learned the different clicks and needless to say it is a very difficult language to pick up, but fun. I am trying to find beauty in a only somewhat structured schedule. When orientation is over we will have lots of free time and I hope I can find the beauty in that. I can wake up then decide what I want to do with the day. It is quite a different change of pace from Meredith life.

January 22nd
I thought that I should write about all my new friends! There are four students here with Arcadia and they are Maria, Justin and Brianna, and I. We all arrived to Cape Town then rode here to Stellenbosch together. There are other Arcadia students arriving to South Africa now, but they will be attending University of Cape Town and Western Cape. We get to go on an excursion with them this weekend. I have really connected with everyone from Arcadia and they are all from the north (Jersey, NY, and Rhode Island) so they enjoy picking on things I say but we’re already like a family. Since we have been here we got close to Cindy, a WVU student who is doing direct exchange and our really nice neighbors which include some girls from ASU. There are quite a few American International students, but there are also International students from France and countries in Europe. Emma, Allen and Lenny took care of us Arcadia students the first few days we were here. Allen is the director here Emma is a grad student at UCT that acts as our “mom” here. Lenny is our really awesome driver. He drives students from Arcadia programs and he is the one who picked me up at the airport the night I arrived. It is cool to have met so many people that come from so many different places. Although we are all from “the states” as everyone says here in SA , we are all from different cities and states and have different backgrounds. I am glad my close friends agree that it’s important to meet the locals too. It is easier to relate to the American International students, but we should make local friends too. Today we went on bus tours through Cape Town. I wasn’t 100% but some greasy food helped and I bought a CD from a group that was performing on the waterfront where we stopped for lunch and shopping.

January 23rd/24th
I think I’d have to call this day the perfect day. I love having relaxed Sundays and this one started with Emma picking us up for a little trip. We thought we were going to the market, but since it was closed she said that she would take us on a wine tour. The place we ended up going called Laurensford had not only wine tastings, but coffee, cheese and chocolate. I was in food/drink heaven. It was such a great day for it too. After smelling beans and tasting cheeses we picked four wines to taste and I bought a bottle for less than $5. Emma even took us to the grocery store on the way home, which was a HUGE help because we didn’t have to walk across town with pounds of food. We rested for the rest of the afternoon, and then smoked hookah downtown at a really cool restaurant. It was a nice way to wrap up the weekend. We are now in the midst of rag week, which here is like rush for fraternities and sororities, but for first year students. There are all kinds of activities and people screaming and dancing, and of course there is lots of alcohol consumption. It’s like my sister reminded me though; not only is it expensive to drink it means lots of sugar which makes lots of fat. Classes start in less than a week, so hopefully I will have those things straightened out by the weekend as well. Yesterday there was an activities and clubs fair (Monday). There were a lot of cool organizations to sign up for. I signed up for Habitat, the hiking club, and the conservation club. I got some information for the dance society and wine tasting club too. I am going to be part of ISOS and that is the International Students Organization of Stellenbosch. We go on excursions and volunteer in Kayamandi. I got lots of information from different churches in the area and that was really exciting. Hannah Lyon, a Presbyterian from home who is studying here, invited me to attend the Presbyterian Church with her so I think I’ll join her Sunday if I am around.

It’s off to the beach now I believe and hopefully getting my season ticket for the football (soccer) games.

He has made everything beautiful in its time.
He has also set eternity in the hearts of men;
Yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end.
I know that there is nothing better for men than to be happy and do good while they live.
That everyone may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all his toil-this is the gift of God
I know that everything God does will endure forever;
Nothing can be added to it and nothing taken from it.
God does it so that men will revere him.
-Ecclesiastes 3:11-14

Initial Thoughts

2011-01-15T10:57:00.000-08:00

Lookin at me, blogging already! But I thought people would appreciate first thoughts since internet is lacking for the moment. Excuse tenses because it was written here there and at all sorts of times.

Day 1-Jan 14
Well I made it to South Africa! I am sweating from running around the airport to go through customs, recheck baggage and then find my gate all the while not really knowing what time it was. Man, I should have remembered a watch! Not to mention there was a guy on the elevator, after going through customs, offering to help and saying “just follow me.” Well, I decided to take that as “how about I won’t follow you and I’ll go THIS way.” Of course my way was right. Wish I could always walk away from men like that. It’s hard to remain a confident looking person when you are tired and would actually really love some help.
I thought that I was going to be really upset when I left my family after all of the overwhelming feelings I had preparing for this trip and this day and this flight. I guess because deep inside I have been preparing for this trip for years now. I thought the flight to Dakar would never get there, but I was able to sleep the majority of the trip from there to Johannesburg. Now I am waiting to get on the last flight (yayyy) to Cape Town. The woman told me the gate number and everything, so I really hope that I am at the right one, because the screen tells me if it somewhere else, actually it isn’t on the screen.
Go figure that the woman wrote the wrong one. Luckily I wasn’t the only one confused and the correct gate was just over one gate from the incorrect one. I must say it is weird being the first. I was so happy to meet Lenard at the airport. He picked me up and I am staying in Cape Town for the weekend. Let me just say that “Toto we are NOT in Kansas anymore.” I rode by some townships already coming in. It is all only going to get more real, and I am only going to feel more at home and less like I am in the Land of Oz.

Day 2-January 15th
I am not quite sure what I dreamt about last night, but I know that it kept waking me up. It was as if I was dreaming about sleeping but either way I was happy that I could fall back asleep each time. My alarm went off and I actually got up (after a few snooze hits that is). I must say I was proud of myself. Either the double espresso or pure excitement is all that is keeping me up now. I am excited for the other students to arrive and see their reactions for everything.
Ok, so the rest of the student got here. Everyone is awesome, however when I mention that I will miss sweet tea or Bojangles they look at me funny. Yes, I am the only southern girl with the Stellenbosch group! Today was pretty sweet. Got to go on the beach in a skirt and t-shirt and stick my foot in the sand. I broke down and bought a sun dress already. Do I have an addiction? How can you blame me though?! The gorgeous weather inspired me. Looking out the window eating dinner at a pizzeria to see the ocean=blissfulness. Look one way you see the ocean, look the other and you see Table Mountain. I’ll take that any day.

One Last Time

2011-01-12T22:31:00.000-08:00

Sunday night I was able to go to Vintage21 for church one last time. It seems the sermons at Vintage are always placed perfectly with something going on in my life, the life of a friend, or with MCA (Meredith Christian Association). Sunday it was able to make me think of MCA and the journey for which I am about to go on.
Tyler (the pastor at V21) talked about how we have to be "regenerative believers," meaning that we have to share the word and scatter God's love to the people of the world. While we are not a perfect people, we must push ourselves everyday to be more perfect, so that through us people may see Christ's love. Tyler also talked about "training our minds" to labor and do good. I see fellow followers striving to do this and it inspires me. At Vintage and in MCA we have brought up Matthew 25 where Christ gave 3 men talents, just as we are given talents and for the 2 servants who multiplied their talent Jesus said "Well done good and faithful servant." How beautiful a gift to be given talent with which we can use to be faithful servants of Christ! For whatever we have done for the least of the people in this world we have done for Christ's kingdom (Matthew 25:40).
I think this helps me answer why I want to go to South Africa. I feel that I have been called to pick up my cross and be in this new place (Mark 8:34), to live recklessly and with an open mind. I must see the mystery of this experience as something beautiful rather than something to be worried about or afraid of. As I lie in my bed one more time I anxiously await what I hope to be 5 of the most beautiful months of my life. It is a gift to be given this opportunity and it is blessing to be supported by family and friends.

I have set the Lord always before me.
Because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken.
Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices;
my body also will rest secure, because you will not abandon me to the grave,
nor will you let your Holy One see decay.
You have made known to me the path of life;
you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.
-Psalm 16:8-11

Saying Goodbye

2011-01-11T16:07:00.000-08:00

As I prepare to leave the goodbyes must begin. Leaving Raleigh Sunday night came as a change in my original plans to leave Monday night. The weekend that began rather enjoyable became very emotional and overwhelming quickly. I realized that for what felt like the first time in months or even since before leaving for Italy, I was afraid. I was filled with doubt for what is to come and upon realizing how soon I would be away from all that felt familiar I was getting nervous.
What I realized amidst this series of emotions was that I can't be so nervous and worried about leaving if I want to have a full experience abroad. These emotions come with new things, but I wanted to be more at peace so that I could leave less afraid. I was asked why afraid by a friend. Perhaps that is my response because I want things to be perfect. I want this experience to be everything that I have thought it would be for the past 2 years. What I have to find comfort in is God's plan for me while I am there. I have a feeling that it's going to be more incredible than any preconceived ideas I can create for my experience. The goodbyes intertwined with the desire for peace were perhaps what pushed my emotions over the edge throughout the weekend, making me so overwhelmed. Either way all of those feeling have brought be here now and fearless or not I am leaving in just a matter of days!

Isaiah 61

2011-01-05T07:38:00.000-08:00

1 The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me,
because the LORD has anointed me
to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim freedom for the captives
and release from darkness for the prisoners,
2 to proclaim the year of the LORD’s favor
and the day of vengeance of our God,
to comfort all who mourn,
3 and provide for those who grieve in Zion—
to bestow on them a crown of beauty
instead of ashes,
the oil of joy
instead of mourning,
and a garment of praise
instead of a spirit of despair.
They will be called oaks of righteousness,
a planting of the LORD
for the display of his splendor.

4 They will rebuild the ancient ruins
and restore the places long devastated;
they will renew the ruined cities
that have been devastated for generations.
5 Strangers will shepherd your flocks;
foreigners will work your fields and vineyards.
6 And you will be called priests of the LORD,
you will be named ministers of our God.
You will feed on the wealth of nations,
and in their riches you will boast.

7 Instead of your shame
you will receive a double portion,
and instead of disgrace
you will rejoice in your inheritance.
And so you will inherit a double portion in your land,
and everlasting joy will be yours.

8 “For I, the LORD, love justice;
I hate robbery and wrongdoing.
In my faithfulness I will reward my people
and make an everlasting covenant with them.
9 Their descendants will be known among the nations
and their offspring among the peoples.
All who see them will acknowledge
that they are a people the LORD has blessed.”

10 I delight greatly in the LORD;
my soul rejoices in my God.
For he has clothed me with garments of salvation
and arrayed me in a robe of his righteousness,
as a bridegroom adorns his head like a priest,
and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.
11 For as the soil makes the sprout come up
and a garden causes seeds to grow,
so the Sovereign LORD will make righteousness
and praise spring up before all nations.

This scripture's beauty was first brought to my attention when Vintage was having an Oaks of Righteousness series. I believe that was either at the time I was in Italy or it was at the time that I had no free time because of school work when I returned. Therefore, I was left with NO TIME to really dig into this scripture passage. Time, time, time; it sometimes seems everything is just centered around that one word, but we can get back to that!
This passage has come to mean more to me in the past couple of months as I try to get more involved with the Plant:Uganda Vision at Vintage21. Not only are great things happening in Uganda but in the city of Raleigh. It has brought me great joy to see the community I am a part of work in our community use their talents to bring people out of darkness. Hope for Hunter, Plant:Uganda, Young Life, and InterVarsity are just some of the ways. I think the desire to comfort those who mourn and provide for those who grieve (v2,3) is a longing Christ put in our hearts so that we may also be fulfilled when we see what we are capable of doing as blessed children of God.
I hope that as I prepare for my trip to South Africa I can be in prayer that God with lead me to those people in South Africa that need comforting and hope. Nerves are rising, and packing has yet to begin! May I be filled up with confidence so I can be prepared to use my talents without hesitation.
Time is flying by as the day of departure arrives. May I use my time wisely as I prepare to leave and while I am in South Africa for good works! I will be given more time than I have when I am in school in Raleigh, and it is my hope that I can use the extra time to volunteer and have time for stillness.

H

Where Did 2010 Go?!

2010-12-25T16:45:00.000-08:00

I feel that after reflecting on the past year it was only appropriate to blog about where it has taken me, and how it had gotten me here.
It’s hard to imagine that it has been over a year since I was living in Sansepolcro, Italy. I have grown so much from that experience and now am anticipating my next trip abroad. When I returned home I was overwhelmed once again with a full course load and numerous activities on campus which would force me to fill my schedule pretty quickly. While I love being active, it was in Italy that I found out that finding time to reflect and BE STILL (Psalm 46:10) was really important. I realized I was at a point in my life where I had to be a little selfish, worrying about what was best for me for I will soon be old enough to think of marriage and a family. Where did the year go?! I did manage to stay in the country for a whole year!
The process and preparation for South Africa has been going a little slower than I originally anticipated after I found the school and country I wanted to be living in, in South Africa. I realized I wanted to be in South Africa last fall and then found University of Cape Town. All of my hopes have been centered on reaching out to the community and hopefully volunteering some. The application process seemed never ending and before I could so much as blink it was October and everything had to be turned in.

White Iris-On my BIRTHDAY!

A wonderful canoeing trip with wonderful friends like Miss. Hallie Willis

Me and my forever roomie Megan with our beautiful Onyxes-October 22nd

October is MY month. My favorite season, fall and CORN season, has begun. It came and went by with a wonderful birthday weekend canoeing on the river and then only a week later I finally but my beautiful Meredith Onyx on. Reflecting on the 4 semesters already passed at Meredith with good friends made for a beautiful night.It ended in a weekend with friends in the mountains at my favorite place ever, my famiy’s cabin. This weekend I fell in love. I fell in love with this precious dog. Her name is Ellie and although I learned there was no way I would be able to keep her (a dog in my checked bags wouldn’t have gone well upon my arrival in South Africa) she has now found a home with Joe’s roommate Will.

November started pretty CORNY with a week of sleep loss and all night practices preparing for our Junior Cornhuskin. Perhaps that was part of reason that I couldn’t even begin to find the time to blog. I was able to spend time with my 2012 girls and am quite thankful for that! Singing "I love you little sis" at Cornhuskin was a moment for me because I realized I was over halfway done with my time here at Meredith. I can't believe it is already time for me to have littles. I tried to blog in the weeks that followed Cornhuskin but this was all I wrote:” Fall is in full swing and I cannot believe that its November. The leaves are quickly falling to the ground and all of the corn spirit decorations are down. The freedom boards are painted to remind our class of the sleepless nights Cornhuskin week brought. Where did October go, or the semester for that matter? My mind is beginning to wonder to thoughts of South Africa, well who am I kidding it does every day! Now it is less than two months away”.

2012 <3

<2012 <3's 2014. With my little sis' Kathleen and Andie>

And here I sit, only weeks away from leaving the country for 5 months. Christmas practically forces one to stay at home and reflect on the year gone by (or flown by in my eyes). It is nice to be sitting home with my family who reminds me of how truly blessed I am. In good Massey fashion we rolled out of the bed around 10am and didn’t get to get breakfast until 1:30 this afternoon. My grandfather sent out an email this morning that read: May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope (Romans 15:13). This holiday season has been different than others because my mom’s mom has now been in and out of the hospital after a stroke and is now quieter and more inactive than ever. It is hard to think of the joy of Christmas in the hard time, but I have found peace in the gift my family has been for twenty years in my life. How beautiful the gift of love to be given this year and every year from family and friends (1 Corinthians 13:13).

The wonderful and amazing Ruth Coffey on her 85th birthday <3

The amazing and always classy Masseys :)

The New Year will be here soon and preparations for South Africa won’t be able to be put off any longer. As advent continues I will celebrate in the beauty of Jesus whose death has given us life eternally. He is the Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, and Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6). That is really the greatest gift of all, God’s everlasting love. As I prepare for South Africa I pray the spirit will be ever so evident and alive in me so that I can use my gifts while in South Africa to grow and learn even more than I did my first semester abroad. That same hope and presence in the spirit of the Lord is what will get me through time apart from so many I love.

Gotta get back to blogging more… I know I shouldn’t make promises, but let’s just say I would really like to keep this up in the coming months!

Finding Peace in Sansepolcro

2010-12-23T14:01:00.000-08:00

Here is the essay that I wrote in the spring for an essay contest at Meredith College. I placed second and shared the essay with classmates and faculty at Meredith's Celebrating Student Achievement Day.

In the beautiful and quaint Tuscan city of Sansepolcro, Italy it took me only sixteen weeks to find peace. This is a state of mind which I had not reached in quite some time. It must be hard for people to understand why this experience felt fulfilling if they have not studied or lived abroad. However, if the rest of my classmates in Italy were hearing this they would be nodding their heads. In the fall semester of my sophomore year in college I was able to learn more academically and personally than I ever thought possible in such a place or time. Enhancing these learning skills has made me more knowledgeable of the world as a whole and more independent as a young woman.
For someone who learns visually I picked the right study abroad program. I was lucky enough to learn about Italian Renaissance art exactly where it began. In our literature class we discussed Carlo Levi and Iris Origo’s lives during World War II and were then lucky enough to travel to their homes. We were able to take all of our classes in the Palazzo Alberti, a stunning 16th century palazzo which also served as our home away from home. This experience in Italy allowed me to focus more on what I was learning in the classroom because I did not have all of the extra meetings and practices I normally have when I am on campus. I had more time to do my work, instead of attending countless dance practices and club meetings. I thought I would miss these things most, but ended up being refreshed to get a break from them. My semester in Italy challenged me academically, and I was pushed to learn about new subjects I may not have chosen to study had I stayed at Meredith. I can assure anyone that analyzing beautiful Italian art is done better when you are standing before it in awe.
I was not only more excited to learn about the topics of my classes, but more capable of learning about them. I wrote a paper about the north and south divide for Sara Andreini’s Italy Today class. This paper talked about the poverty the south had faced, and how people in the north have continued to separate themselves from those in the south. The sources for my papers did not come from readings alone, but also from images I had seen in my travels. I could explain how I was a witness to the poverty in the south, which made what I was writing about more real to me. After reading Carlo Levi’s book Christ Stopped at Eboili, I was given the chance to see the city he had written so much about. It really put the books context into perspective and if I stopped to imagine what he wrote, I could see the children and the poverty of the small town Levi wrote of surrounding me. These experiences not only gave me an appreciation for the opportunity I was being given in Italy, but also the opportunity I was given to continue learning with such imagination back at Meredith College.
Amanda Oliver, an alumna of Meredith College, spoke this year at the sophomore class Charming Evening event. She told us that if she could give each student sitting in front of her one piece of advice, it would be to study abroad. As a study abroad alumna, I believe she gave them some very wise advice. Amanda never studied abroad while she was at Meredith, but she did hope that as our class advisor she could persuade all of us to. I wasn’t expecting to learn all of the things I learned about myself while I was away from the states, but as my time in Italy came to a close myself and the others around me saw that I was more confident and independent. I feel like a stronger person who can take on so much more after being away from home for so long. While I was in Italy I realized that out of all the people that loved me, I needed to love me most at the end of each day. I needed to get the confidence to achieve things, which I lost near the end of high school and beginning of college. Study abroad helped me find this confidence. I began to understand that in my new experiences in this foreign country I was only going to move forward with my life if I put the mistakes I made in my past behind me. I am so happy that I jumped at my opportunity to study abroad early, while it was right in front of me. Italy was not always in my plans to study abroad; South Africa was. Italy gave me the passion I need to pursue further study abroad opportunities. The experiences I had in Italy and the moments I found happiness began to make me realize I was becoming the strong, independent woman I knew I could be. I realized how easy it was to find “simple joy” in a beautiful afternoon bike ride, or in the smell of a good plate of pasta.
I knew how I wanted things to work out when I returned from Italy, but they have not work out the way I imagined at all. I remember writing about the gift of time and how I learned we must savor the important moments, but since being back at Meredith all I want is more time. I want more time in the day to get my work done, and I wish I had spent more of the time I had in Italy studying Italian. Although my schedule doesn’t include the free time I wish it had, I do remember how important it is to stay true to what I believe and keep the strength I gained while in Italy. I have been proof that one can learn from experience, and my semester in Italy was just another example of how I did that.
People still approach me and ask “How was Italy? Tell me all about it.” I used to hesitate and wonder how much they really wanted to know until I could sum it up in one word: perfect. Nothing will ever replace the time I had in Italy. From the first night in the Palazzo Alberti, as an Italian couple sang a beautiful Italian opera song to all of us, I knew I was in the right place.

...NOW onto the last year, 2010.
Working on reflecting in the little peace I have found this semester.

All Good Things Must Come to an End

2009-12-04T12:45:00.000-08:00

I woke up this morning without the sun shining into my bedroom window, which looks onto the main street of beautiful Sansepolcro. I also knew I had the inevitable task of packing awaiting me when I got out of the bed. This was the first of many signs from the past couple of days that reminded me my time here is coming to a close. I drug myself out of the bed, make a warm cup of tea (one of my new favorites since coming to Italy), and began pulling down the cards and pictures that give my room its homey feel. Amanda was awake at this point and when I opened my closet door to begin taking out my clothes the tears came again. The tears have come three more times since after reading an email from my sister, making a toast to Margherita and Alessandra, and reading an email from my dad. As much as I wish everyone at home understood how I feel as I prepare to return, they don’t. The only people that can truly understand how it feels to pack up and leave Sansepolcro are the people I have spent this semester with who made Sansepolcro their second home as well. They are the women who have sat around the table with me in the dining room everyday for lunch and tasted the same amazing cooking I have, which we are so lucky to get every day. We now have our own memories and “family sayings” which no one else will understand but us.

Sister+ Thanksgiving in Italy+ My New Home in Sansepolcro=…what has made the past few weeks perfect!

I was lucky enough to have someone from home come visit me last week for Thanksgiving. My sister flew into Rome and we enjoyed ourselves around the big city. When we arrived in Sansepolcro on that Sunday night, the same feeling of comfort came over my sister which I feel ever weekend after being away. It is of course different in the sense that she is a visitor and I feel like part of the community, but I was happy to see she was content. I walked her around the city and she reminded me how lucky I was to be here with the expressions on her face and feeling she was really in an “Italian town.” We enjoyed Sansepolcro and the next day went to Anghiari which has as much charm as Sansepolcro. Wednesday night my sister got the chance to come with Chelsea and I to the Tanfi’s for a family dinner. This is one thing I am happy to got to be a part of during her time here. We ate an official Italian meal and my sister managed to make it through because I translated for her and Mrs. Tanfi spoke a small amount of English when she could.
Thursday came and it was time to set the tables and prepare for nearly 50 Italian guests to arrive for Thanksgiving dinner. My sister and I had spent the morning in Perugia exploring, and as soon as we got off the train back in Sansepolcro we headed to the Servi and helped set up. I remembered how much I disliked getting ready for special occasions because everyone runs around and stresses about what they will wear. Of course at the Massey house on Thanksgiving we eat around our old table in sweatpants. I guess I can say along with my parents that was something I missed not doing this Thanksgiving. Once we were all dressed and at the Servi, I was very happy to be with everyone. As guests poured in, my emotions got the best of me because I realized I was surrounded by this new family which was created here in Sansepolcro. Everyone’s teachers from the service learning experience came, as well as our host families and friends which we have made in town. The food was as American as it could be since we were eating in Italy, and as amazing as food can be anywhere because Margherita made it. We had two of the biggest turkeys I have ever had a chance to eat from before, and the normal American cranberry sauce to go along with it. I loved the Italian additions to our dinner, but it more importantly I loved the Italian company that night.

My sister and I ventured to Lido Di Ostia, a small seaside city near Rome where we would stay the night before she left. It was not what we expected, but we had a great dinner and the next morning before she caught her bus to the airport we got to see the ocean. I was once again happy to get back to Sansepolcro and relax at “my house.”

The final week has come and gone as quickly as I knew it would, but faster than I ever hoped. Tomorrow I will have my last run with Nicole in the beautiful countryside, “take” a coffee (as they like to call it here in Italy) after running, walk through the Saturday market one last time, buy last minute gifts for the people I wish I could have shared this experience with, and have one last night with the people who have made this experience as great as it has been. Frederick Buechner has gotten me through some hard days with his devotional book, and he struck again this morning. My sister’s email included Buechner’s quote about goodbyes, and I will wrap up my last blog from beautiful Tuscan Italy with his brilliant words.

"It was a long while ago that the words God be with you disappeared into the word goodbye, but every now and again some trace of them still glimmers through."

Preparing to Return Home--Molto Triste

2009-11-30T02:20:00.000-08:00

1. In what ways have I changed?
I think that the more important changes will be more noticeable when I return home in a week, but what I can say now while I am still here is that I have grown more as an independent woman. I feel that I can do things on my own and I am truly proud of the person I am. I realized how blessed I am for everything that has come my way since being here. My English has improved and according to John Rose I smile a little bit more than when I arrived. Perhaps I smile more because I feel as though I have a second home and family with these people in this wonderful city. Maybe I smile more because I am truly at peace in my life, and while that may not be an obvious change to some I feel it within myself and it is so nice to be genuinely happy.

2. In what ways might my friends and family have changed?
If my parents changed while I was gone, it was letting go of their “baby girl” a little bit more. I think that being away from home for so long has allowed them to watch be become more independent, or at least I hope it has. I hope my friends have changed their opinions on me. Not in a bad way of course, but in a way that makes them respect me more for having left all that I know to come to Italy for an entire semester. I hope that my good friends realize how important having a friendship with me is, because I have certainly come to appreciate a couple specific friendships with people while being abroad.

3. How would I like my friends and family to treat me when I return home?
I would like my friends and family to treat me as they did when I left. I want my parents to trust me and the decisions I make, while being supportive in what I do. I want my friends to continue being a support system as well. One thing I would like my friends to remember when I return is that while I am so happy to see them and be back, leaving here was not easy (this hasn’t happened, but I know it will be hard!). I hope that they all respect me, just as I hope they did before I left. Either way, returning home will cause many bittersweet emotions. No picture or blog can truly explain the amazing experience I have had here in Sansepolcro to the people back home in Laurinburg and Raleigh.

4. What am I looking forward to the most? The least?
I am looking forward to seeing my parents and being at my house again. I want to help my mom and exercise with her, and also learn how to cook some really good food for our whole family. This will benefit all of us and also keep me busy. I look forward to making my parents finally clean the house so that we can then paint the house. All of those things at my house will help me forget what I’m not looking forward to and that is being back in Laurinburg. I’ve learned that I have left a certain part of my life there, so when I go back to it I get this bad feeling sometimes. I am happy to be around the good friends I have at home whom I missed all this time and also seeing my friends in Raleigh before they go home for the holidays. I get to see the beautiful mountains of North Carolina I have missed so dearly and drink as much sweet tea as I want, and that is pretty exciting. I am sure that in the midst of doing all of these things and reconstructing life in the states I will be missing Italy and all I must leave behind here.

5. What are the lessons that I have learned that I never want to forget?
I never want to say “like” as much as I did upon arriving in Italy, nor do I want to use “me” improperly in sentences. I must smile more, because usually even when I’m frowning I am happy. These are the lessons I have learned from John Rose and Dr. Webb, but there are many more from them and everyone else I have been around these past 3 and a half months. I have learned about the gift of time, and that if we don’t take such as a precious gift it will slip away. These past 16 weeks have come and gone faster than I can even imagine, and this time has helped me to not be so concerned about things in the future, but rather savor the precious moments with the people I share them with. I have also learned that people learn from experience and this experience has taught me only a few of the lessons I have left to learn. I have realized that things will fall into place as they should, that the people that really care about you will always be there even when you’re thousands of miles away, and that I am a strong and independent person. I really shocked myself with all that I learned and have been able to do on my own, and I am sure that when I return home I will see these changes more. I thank Italy for allowing me to learn that a simple, yet beautiful afternoon with good friends is what simple joy is. I am been so full of joy here, and I have learned the true meaning of being joyful.

6. What are some skills I have learned?
I have learned how to travel in a foreign country. I learned Italian more as the weeks went by, but I also learned that I must not be scared to ask questions to get to where I want or to get what I want. When Sam, Vi, and I were in Rome we asked about 4 people about taking the bus, but I was so happy we asked so many questions because we learned so much about the public transportation. The more questions you ask the more you can learn. I asked two Germans on the train one weekend where they were from, and by the time they got off the train I had learned how to count in German. I have learned time management, and that having a plan is important but being able to completely abandon a plan is alright as well. I think that the skills I now have for traveling will extend out into other aspects of my life, which will continue to challenge and teach me more.

7. Many say that re-entry shock is more challenging than initial culture shock. What are some things that I might do to make the transition easier?
Going home is going to be especially hard for me because I know that I will have to leave what has become another home here in Sansepolcro. I have new friends, a host family, and a new way of living daily. While it will be a challenge, I hope to accept that I am going back home because this journey is supposed to be ending so that another one can begin. If I stay busy with all the things that I have planned to do when I get back than I will know that home is where I am supposed to be until I return to Raleigh. I think accepting that you are where you’re supposed to be at any given moment is in itself the best thing to do. If I know I am supposed to be helping my parents paint our house or if I should be hanging out with the friends I have missed so much, then adjusting won’t be as challenging. As I put together the pictures and accidently use Italian phrases with my American friends I will wish I was back in this place, but small moments like that are acceptable because I think it’s important to have something to miss in the places you have been.

8. What have been the important things about this study abroad experience that I want to share with family and friends?
I think that the things I want to share are the things that I want people to actually see in me when I return home. I want them to see a content young woman who is satisfied with the life she is living and overjoyed to have had an amazing experience such as this. I want the people at home to SEE that these past few months have been some of the best times of my entire life, which have taught me how to be joyful in the simple moments. I hope they see the independence I have gained, because that is something very important which I have learned here. I want to share the friends I have made and memories I will keep close to my heart. The memories and people are the things I will have to physically share, but the other things I will take away from this experience are things that I hope can be seen.

9. What do I want to do with the experiences I’ve had?
I would like to continue to study Italian, which I am doing by taking Italian at NC State next semester. I will have this class with Vi, whom I spent the entire semester with here in Italy. That will be refreshing for us both because in the midst of everything else happening, we can remember Italy during our Italian class. I also want to continue to learn by experience, whether it be simply in Raleigh or by studying abroad again. I know that there is so much more to learn about the city of Raleigh, and I want to get all out of it that I can like I did here in Sansepolcro. I want to study abroad again because after learning all I have here, I know going away again could give me another chance to learn more. I’ve been dreaming of going to South Africa for a few years now and I can’t even begin to imagine the opportunities that lie ahead in such a place for me. I think what I would really like to do with the experiences I had in Italy is take them to my next experience and learn even more!

I Finally Made It to The Big City of Rome!

2009-11-24T08:31:00.000-08:00

My sister is here!!! I can’t believe she is finally here and gets to see my second home right here in Sansepolcro. Her arrival promises an amazing week, and a few nights of little rest as I still have work to do in these final weeks. Moments such as having her in this amazing place with me, make me so incredible happy that I can’t even describe it. It is the simple and beautiful joy which I have found many times here in Italy, and I am so happy to share that joy with my sister now. I had to share my excitement on her arrival, but now I can share my weekend in Rome!

Saturday we got up to take the bus to Arezzo and catch a train somewhere around 12. I inconveniently read the bus schedule wrong, assuming that on Saturday there was a bus at 9:56 when really that bus only runs Monday through Friday. We chose to wait for Bekah and take a later bus at 12:45. This allowed me to get a little more work done before my sister’s arrival but also allowed me to walk around the market. I forgot how much I enjoyed walking around the market and Vi and I had a very successful walk through it all. We bought clementines for the weekend and I got to do a little bit of shopping for people I love back home (who happen to read my blog, and can’t find out their surprises yet). Once we finally left Sansepolcro, made a train to Rome, and arrived in Rome it was getting dark. We headed straight for our hostel, which I am happy to say was only about 4 blocks away from Termini (Rome’s main station for just about every type of public transportation in Rome). Our goal for the night was to make it to the Trevi Fountain, throw our coins in, and then find a good Italian restaurant for dinner, which seems to be harder when you are in larger cities. We found a good restaurant and all joined one another’s company, but I am sad to say that Saturday night we failed to find the Trevi Fountain. What we found was a small, disappointing fountain in one of the many piazzas of Rome. We threw in coins to represent quick return to Rome, finding love, or finding wedding bells soon. I am sad to say that Bekah, who really was excited to throw in her three for marriage threw them in the wrong fountain and went home having thrown them in a not so famous fountain close to the Trevi. I have no doubts we will all still attend her wedding soon, but it is quite funny we looked like crazy American tourists in front of the wrong fountain.

Sunday we set our alarms to get up at a decent hour. After being awoken at 6am from our neighbors, and then again to say goodbye to Bekah around 7am, we finally dragged ourselves up and out the door by ten after a little more rest. We headed off to see the Spanish steps and I was encountered by a man holding some string on the Spanish steps. He literally made a bracelet using my finger as the holder for his string, and then put it on my wrist. Of course after talking to me and making this bracelet for me he wanted money. I finally told him that I was going to give him a euro to get away from me. It seems that people will often give you things for “free” in Rome, but quickly turn around wondering why you haven’t given them any money for it. This happened again that same night at the Trevi Fountain. It seems one of my biggest down falls is that my blonde hair screams “American tourist” to all the people on the streets of Rome. After seeing the Spanish steps we decided to see what looked to be interesting places on our map. We couldn’t get to any of the places we wanted to go on the metro, so we had to figure out how the bus system worked. I am proud to say we utilized Rome public transportation, and took the bus to a few beautiful places off the normal Rome destinations. We saw Castel Di St. Angelo and a beautiful fountain that had stunning views of Rome in many directions. We decided to play “guess the building” from this point as we looked onto much of the cities buildings. After venturing off the beaten path it was time to find the Pantheon. This required another bus, but this time we got spilled off the bus close to where we were headed. We saw the Pantheon and then I made it to Termini to wait for my sister’s arrival. I stared at every person getting off of the Leonardo Express, and when I finally saw my sister’s familiar face and blonde hair from a distance I ran straight to her. I couldn’t believe my sister was really in Italy with me! My sister, Vi, Sam, and I all went to dinner at a restaurant close to our hostel which was nothing like the amazing food we get here, but it was priced well. After dinner we all went to the REAL Trevi Fountain, which I am sad Bekah missed but happy that my sister did not miss. It was gorgeous and when I arrived I knew that I had to be at the right fountain because I was speechless. The people crowded all around it also indicated we had found the right spot. Rome is one of those cities where you must constantly remind yourself how awesome all the things you are seeing are. This next day in Rome, I did that a lot.

On Monday Patricia, Sam, Vi and I rolled out of bed a little earlier than the day before and got ready for our most touristy day yet. Our plan was to make it to the Vatican and then the Colosseum all before catching the train back to Arezzo. This made for a very hectic, but productive day in Rome. We made it to the Vatican around 10 Monday morning, and I quickly became overwhelmed by all the tourists around us. As our tour guide would later put it, “there are two types of pedestrians here, the quick and the dead.” We found a good student deal for an official tour of the museum and the Sistine Chapel which lasted a couple of hours. My back began to kill me, but I was happy we decided to take the entire tour. Our tour guide made the journey through the many rooms of the museum entertaining for everyone with the “spot the celebrity” and “where’s Rafael?” Thanks to our guide’s games we found Sylvester Stallone and Johnny Depp, who I spotted and called out in the middle of the museum. We also found all of the Ninja Turtles except for one in the Rafael rooms. Rafael hid Leonardo (Da Vinci), Michelangelo, and himself in a painting that covered one of the walls. After making it through the museum and the magnificently painted Sistine chapel, we ran to the metro and headed back to Termini in order to go to the Colosseum. We could use our RomaPASS there to get skip the lines, and it also covered our admission in. My sister and I were alone at this point and decided it was ok to be touristy and get the audio tour. It was amazing to hear how old everything was or how much happened in the same place I was standing. It was great to finally see Rome, but even better to see it with my sister. We returned home on a 5 o’clock train to Arezzo and took the last bus to Sansepolcro, so needless to say we were both very excited to see our beds. I could finally feel the blood circulated through my feet once again as I fell asleep far past my bedtime.

thoughts on a week flying by!

2009-11-20T10:18:00.001-08:00

The week has gone by faster than I thought it would and now we have made it through another full week of classes. Rather than working more on papers for class to get ahead, I am watching a movie with the girls. I feel like the chances to enjoy afternoons like these are dwindling, and so I try to be ok with my choice of afternoon activities. I’ll have dinner with good friends tonight, and then in the morning it will finally be time to see Rome!

The beginning of the week started off as most do. I realized that my weekend had gone by too fast, and that another one was coming my way to do just the same. I knew I had to be productive this week and so that is exactly how started off my week. I finished Sara’s final paper by Wednesday and was planning to reward myself after by relaxing some. When I walked up stairs to start this time of relaxation, Chelsea tells me that we have a family dinner scheduled for 7:30. I stopped in my tracks because I was still in my pajamas from the morning and not prepared to be charming. I threw on my jeans and changed my shirt, and five minutes later the Tanfis were there to get us. The Tanfis are the adorable couple that Chelsea and I have eaten with twice now. They have come to the palazzo before because they are Dr. Webb and John Rose’s friends. They are so sweet to let us into their house and gave us amazing food. They have one son Matteo who is married with a son Andrea and their other child, Clara passed away some years ago after a bad accident. Not only do they feed us well, they never think we have enough. They ask if we want more or if there is anything else we need. Even after we eat they have plenty of things to entertain us with. This week it was Matteo’s wedding album, their wedding album, and Clara’s baby photos. It is always tiring to go to the family dinners because we are speaking only Italian and sometimes have to explain things we don’t talk about in Italian class. After stuffing ourselves with food and being entertained by the Tanfis charm and also their dog Rocko, it was time to find a nice warm bed.

Thursday wasn’t going to be a very promising day to be productive because I had to register for classes, then we had Bekah’s final dinner. This was another day that it was nice to just be with everyone here. Sam and I went to order the pizzas and the woman at the pizzeria didn’t believe that we wanted 7 whole pizzas, but we were ordering for everyone. We gave Bekah a frame with a collage of pictures from the semester and Sara came with all of the children also. They brought dessert, and after eating we moved to the living room. I learned that John Rose is quite good at charades and I enjoy playing with him. I chose The Little Mermaid when it was my turn and so after using my fingers to explain the word “little” I had to be a mermaid and wiggle around on the floor. It was quite an entertaining time, and we even got John Rose to stick around for the entire chick flick that we watched after the game. Watching 13 Going on 30 is interesting when it is in Italian and you have seen it because some of the things they say are not the real words.

Now it is Friday and there is plenty that still needs to be done before I head off to Rome, but I hate to say it won’t all get finished. I look forward to finally seeing Rome and also to see my sister! There is no doubt the next week will be amazing simple because she will be here, and we can always have fun together.

2009-11-16T04:48:00.000-08:00

This weekend all of the girls, Dr. Webb, John Rose, and the swabs, along with our favorite driver Marco headed off for a long weekend excursion. We would be traveling to several of the places in Italy that we have been reading about in Dr. Webb’s English class. My immune system and I have been trying to battle a bad cough in order to not feel bad for the weekend’s adventures. We would start our trip in a small town near Siena, but as the weekend progressed we would venture to the south where few of us have been.

Thursday after our Italian lesson we traveled on the bus for a couple of hours and made it to Montepulciano. The weather was perfect this day so we walked around the city to stretch our legs. Little did we know, the most recent Twilight movie, New Moon was filmed there. After seeing pictures of the actors in store windows we became curious and one of the townspeople told us they used the main piazza for filming. After seeing the beautiful colors and charming buildings of this city we loaded back on the bus to head to La Foce, where Iris Origo lived and wrote her journal War in Val D’Orcia, which we read for English. In this journal Origo talks of her life in this Italian town during the war. Her and her husband took in 23 children to protect them from the war, and had two of their own. The property was more extravagant than I had pictured with its beautiful gardens and large estate. Seeing the property allowed her stories to come to life. I could see the places where they lived, hide when the Germans came, and where the British and others running hid on their property. The estate was larger than I imagined, and the gardens that filled the yard were beautiful. The views from the rose garden down into the valleys, most of which the Origos owned, were beautiful and would be the first of many amazing views I saw this weekend. Before leaving, we learned that olive oil is made on the property since it is still a working farm. Cooking with olive oil is one of many smart decisions Italians make when cooking. The sun was setting, and after seeing the cemetery where the Origos are buried we loaded up to make it to our hotel. We stayed in a charming hotel in a small town called Pienza on Thursday night. We all went to dinner together after settling into our new rooms, and I chose to get a first course and split a second with Nicole. It’s a good thing I run because this Italian food is too good to not eat, but if I was lazy I would regret eating it all. Before we arrived back to the hotel for the night, Lauren found a new friend in the bus. There was a giant spider, which crawled right up beside Lauren’s face. This moment was a testament to how fearful women can get over bugs. After capturing the entire thing on video and laughing until we cried, everyone went to sleep after a long but productive day.

Friday was used mostly as a driving day to get to the south of Italy. It was about mid day when we stopped for lunch, and when we took the exit to stop I knew I wasn’t in Tuscany anymore. There were honking cars with rude drivers, and I was reminded of northern US. This is interesting because in the United States the people in the south aren’t very rude when they drive, but you get to the big cities in the north and you drive only when you have to. I have been learning about the continuous north south divide of Italy, but this trip gave me a chance to actually see what I had learned in person. The poverty was shown in the condition of building that filled the streets, and while I didn’t want to feel different when I left Central and Northern Italy, I did. When we stopped at the French Palace of Castera, we went to the restrooms. Upon entering they smelled terrible, and when I turned on my water it was brown. This isn’t usual for the north and one of many signs of poverty in the south today. This French palace had a beautiful garden and we walked around it to allowing the blood to flow through our legs once again. It is a fact that I saw some beautiful gardens and some beautiful views this past weekend! This same day I also had Ursala (from the Little Mermaid), or should I say octopus for lunch. I knew I was getting seafood pasta, but I was very proud that I ate such a sea creature that day. After several more hours of alternating between taking notes on the north/south divide in Italy and falling asleep with my ipod, we made it to Matera after dark. The view we got right after we got off the bus made the ride well worth it. Bekah, Sam, Amanda, Lauren and I ate dinner together at a pizzeria where we were happy to be the only Americans and enjoyed good food and good company with one another. For some reason travel makes people tired, even when you nap the whole ride. This made my bed look really nice, in our surprisingly nice hostel. I say that because it was my first time actually staying in a hostel here and our room even had a spiral staircase. This made late night bathroom breaks interesting, but added a charm I wasn’t expecting to get from a hostel.

Saturday we got up and set off early for Aliano. This is a small city where Carlo Levi wrote his famous book Christ Stopped At Eboli. I was anticipating this trip because I just finished writing on Levi’s life in Aliano and what he learned from the children there. When we arrived to Aliano it actually was what I expected. This usually doesn’t happen to me but it was as if what I had read could be understood completely because I was in this place. I was grateful to tour a museum containing pictures of his life, papers from his exile, and paintings he did while in Aliano. We got to see where Carlo lived while in Aliano and view he got from the top of the house was a good one. It was another day filled with amazing views of spectacular mountains. When I think about the time in which Levi was in Aliano, I realize that he could have been one of the luckier of his time. This is because he survived the Holocaust and was exiled to a city he came to fall in love with instead. I am not saying life was easy for him or that the things he saw were easy to take in, but it gives one something to think about. We got a small but charming lunch in Aliano after seeing Carlo Levis grave. He is buried in between two walls and on the ledge of this cemetery. This seems to represent the space he was confined in, but the beauty that was all around him. This same scene is in his painting Lucania 61 which we saw in Matera and it makes you wonder if it is something he knew he wanted before her died. We drove through Stagliano, where Levi also spent some of his time and stopped in Craco. This city was abandoned in 1963 after mud slides came and ruined everything. Everyone was sent away, and today all that remains is ruined homes and buildings. It was very exciting to see it all and I even was allowed to take a Italian roof tile, I just have to get it home now! We returned to Matera Saturday night and saw some of Levi’s painting in an art gallery. It was interesting to see how much he grew as an artist, but also how his style changed when he was put into exile. You wander if it was because his life was shakier or because of the supplies he was limited to. I had another oversized but extremely good dinner that night with Bekah, Sam, and Lauren and after we got good thick Italian hot chocolate. Before dinner, let me add that we got gelato. We were all missing it too much and had been happy to find a place that still had it.

Sunday it was time to get back to Sansepolcro and even though the day wasn’t promised to be outstanding, the one city we did stop in was different than the rest we had seen all weekend. Paestum was the town we stopped in and it was famous for its Greek ruins. I was happy to see some ruins since I haven’t made it to Pompeii or Capri yet. There was a museum we went in first and there were tombs older than biblical stories. This was different than the 15th century Renaissance art I have seen here in Italy. Stopping in Paestum was a great way to finish off the weekend before getting back to Sansepolcro. I got to spend the weekend seeing so many different parts of Italy that I hadn’t seen yet. The places we went gave me a new picture for the country and helped me realize there was so much more to see. As always, it was great to get home and now the week must be a productive one, so when my sister arrives in a week I can enjoy time with her in this gorgeous country! :)

Only a month remains...

2009-11-09T06:07:00.000-08:00

This past weekend entailed another morning of service learning to start and was followed by a beautiful day in Gubbio, a fun night in Sansepolcro, and a rainy but productive Sunday here at the palazzo!

Friday I made it back to Maestre Pie to help teach in the English classes with the schools English teacher Laura. The past few weeks have been stressful because the school’s headmaster has been sick, and this past week there was also sick teachers. Laura had to step up as a leader so when I arrived to help, I could tell she was very happy to see me. For the first hour I was with the level five class and these students are working on terms for clothing and body parts. I sat with individual groups and helped them say what they were wearing. I have noticed these kids having the same problem as I do in Italian class, and that is constructing sentences properly. They remember the vocabulary pretty well but when they are asked to say “I am wearing” and then the terms, they struggle. I do this same thing, but because their ten and eleven year old children learning the same things as me I am pushed to study even harder. This week was my first week in the nursery and I helped teach a group of five year olds a song in English. Now to me, the fact that these students are learning ANY English at the age of five impresses me. They managed to pick up the vocabulary for pig, sheep, horse, and mouse from one of the songs. We sang a song about colors of autumn or autunno and they learned the word for brown, yellow, and orange. When I walked into the nursery, three different Italian women rushed to greet me. This was great except that since they were Italian, they were speaking in very fast Italian. I managed to understand some of it, tell them my name in Italian, and say that I only spoke a small amount. You sometimes impress yourself when you are put on the spot and forced to create sentences though, and this happened to me that morning at the school. After teaching the five year olds songs and making horse and mouse puppets I went back into Laura’s classroom to work with the level three class. I planned to teach them about a typical Thanksgiving meal. We did this and I gave them all a lot of vocabulary words for the wonderful food that I eat on Thanksgiving, but they also taught me a few things. There were some words that I didn’t go, because at this point in my Italian studies I do not know the word for every type of food in Italian. When one of the boys asked me how to say cereali in English I had no idea what he was talking about! Come to find out, thanks to my Italian-English dictionary, he meant cereal which I should have known. The language barrier also makes for a few nerve racking moments in the classroom. As I may have mentioned before, my students are a lot less far along in their English studies than some of the other girl’s students at their schools. Their smaller knowledge of English has given me the challenge to work on my Italian more, and I need that. Because of our group trip to Matera and Val D’Orcia this week, I will not be going to the school again until the 20th.

On Saturday the science and society class was required to go on a day trip to Gubbio, but I am very glad that I chose to go along with them because it was a beautiful city. Gubbio is a small city close to Perugia, where I went for the chocolate festival a few weeks ago. It is the rival city to Sansepolcro and this past year we beat them at the Balestra, which I attended in September (I can’t believe I’ve really been here since September!). We arrived in Gubbio and took a lift, or as they call it a “funivia,” to the upper city. It was small but charming, and the ride up was beautiful. There was a church of course, and a wedding was being held on this day. I never saw the bride, only the beautifully decorated cars for the bride’s getaway. The views from the top made the ride even more worth it, but so did the company at the top. Being all together in these last few weeks is important because I now have a relationship with everyone here and we will not be together like this again in four more weeks. After a group picture that almost led me to tears, it was time to go back down to the center of the city and get something to eat. Sam, Bekah, and I managed to find a charming pizzeria which no Americans had been to since the currency changed to the Euro. I had the best calzone I’ve had since being in Italy. We walked around and let our food digest while exploring the rest of the city. It was beautiful and while waiting for the bus we explored the part near the city center. There was a collection of beautiful, autumn colored trees. The day was beautiful and luckily we had no rain.

Sunday was a productive day for me. I got a lot of work done, went for a run with Nicole (we ended up getting soaked from rain!) and then enjoyed the evening. I was in bed by eleven for the first time that I can remember. I hope the week continues to go as well as it has begun!!

10 trains, 6 buses, 4 airplanes, and 4 taxis

2009-11-05T07:34:00.000-08:00

I must tell everyone all about the amazing time I had on my long break to London and Glasgow. It was hard to leave Sansepolcro last Tuesday, because the weather was perfect and all the trees looked beautiful. The week ahead would make up for the beautiful city I had to leave, because I would be seeing two countries I had never been to and two friends I hadn’t seen since leaving the states. After a fabulous week with MK and Rachel in London and Glasgow, I arrived back in Sansepolcro completely worn out and happier than ever to see my bed. For me, both of those were a sign of an amazing week and a good break, since now I must recover and refocus for the last month in Sansepolcro. The title of this blog is meant to express the many means of transportation I took to run around and see all of the amazing places that I did.

The long break started in Ferrara, because Nicole and I decided to go visit people studying with the program that brought her over to Italy her first time abroad. She reconnected with her directors, and we also got to see our friend Giacomo. The dinner that we shared with the company of this study abroad group was also incredibly good. I had to have one last three-course Italian meal before heading to London. Because we were in Ferrara, we only had a short train ride to get to Bologna the next morning, where both of us would leave from. As much as we wanted to see Bologna, my anxiety was getting the best of me because I wouldn’t let us venture off to far from the train station. If we had I would have surely panicked if I missed my bus to the airport or my flight. We did get to grab one last Italian calzone, cone of gelato, and take a walk through the park before separating ways at the station. We were indeed both in for two very different experiences on our break because Nicole was going to Moracco where she spent less money than she has since being here, and I was off to the big city of London where I would spend well over the budget I have had in Italy.

I was completely content when I boarded my plane to London, because I had a window seat that allowed me to look back on beautiful Italy and at beautiful mountains ahead. It was one of those simple unplanned moments of joy that Frederick Buechner talks about in his devotional book (a favorite author of mine). I was reminded you must check twice to make sure you have your things, because when I arrived at Stansted airport in London I realized I left one of my books for class on the plane! After making it through customs and London on the “easy bus” it was time to have my first experience on the underground tube. Apparently my first experience was unlike anyone else’s that went to London. As I was waiting for the next circle line train to arrive, a district line train pulled into Victoria station where I was waiting. About eight to ten young men proceeded to exit the train, strip off all of their clothes, and then get back on the train right before it left the station. I believe my face froze in complete shock, as well as everyone else. All I could think was “well welcome to London Hannah!” After this surprising welcome to the underground my less exciting train arrived and I finally got to MK’s neighborhood, Notting Hill. Having arrived in MK’s neighborhood, the next step was to find her and this ended up being a little more painful than I planned. After trying two different payphones and an Italian cell phone (which would have been ridiculously expensive had it worked), I finally found a small internet café where I bought thirty minutes and called her cell phone from Skype. Skype is an amazing invention for any young women studying abroad, and I was reminded of this in a different way that night. We finally connected and realized how awesome it was to be in one another’s company. We began to catch up over dinner which included chicken, “chips”, and some amazing corn (on the cob!). When we returned to her flat, I laughed at how incredibly close I had been to her earlier when I was looking for her, and after a bit more catching up we slept.

Thursday we felt it was necessary to be completely touristy for the day since I had never been to London. MK even took her new beautiful camera along for the adventure. We made it to the center of the city where we saw Big Ben, the London Eye, Westminster Abbey, and many tourists. We enjoyed our chi tea lattes and after getting all the pictures we could and choosing against the Eye’s 20 pound charge we were off to Trafalgar’s Square to have some lunch. We enjoyed this area and sat on the steps for lunch, at times uncomfortably close to the pigeons. It’s interesting to observe all of the different people you see in a big city. They come from so many different places. When MK and I were heading to the Queens Palace to see the guards two women in front of us and one said she wished one of the horses the guards were on would really bite a tourist (which signs warn tourists of outside of the palace). This woman must have been one of the more bitter residents of the area but what can she expect living in London? The day was getting late and MK’s flat mate was celebrating her birthday that night. We decided to go out with them to a club called Whiskey Mist, which normally has a cover of 20 pounds but because her friend Kathryn knew people there we all got in for free. I enjoyed that because since I was staying with MK I could be a tourist and have her show me around, but I also got to see other parts of the city and meet her friends.

Friday morning MK and I were off to Glasgow, where we would stay with my friend from home Rachel. She is currently studying at the University of Glasgow and lives in a flat near the university with 3 Scots and one German girl. Getting to Glasgow wasn’t too painful, only a slightly delayed flight. When we arrived it was pouring rain as the wind blew, so of course an umbrella did nothing to help since it was windy. I knew I was finally in Scotland when a man turned to me in the rain and said “welcome to bloody Scotland” in a deep Scottish accent. Although I was getting rained on, his welcome brought me so much joy! We took a local train and met Rachel in Glasgow’s central station, since I learned planning a meeting time and location was better than having to make phone calls. We ventured through the rain, took a small subway (this time less exciting than the experiences in the London tube), and then walked a few more minutes before arriving to her flat. Once we arrived we made fajitas in Rachel’s kitchen, which I really appreciated because I have only reheated food in our kitchen here at the palazzo. We turned on music and allowed ourselves to enjoy each other’s company. The girls she is living with are so sweet and after we finished eating Rachel, two of her flat mates, and I went to one of Glasgow University’s student unions for “cheesy pop Fridays.” The name confused me at first, but upon arrival it clicked that it literally meant Fridays were dedicated to dancing to old “cheesy” pop songs. I enjoyed myself completely because I got to hear all sorts of old songs from when I was younger, including the Spice Girls and Hanson. Because Rachel and I were already tired we made it back to her flat for the evening.

Saturday morning we gave ourselves a little more sleep than we had been getting, then got up to see Glasgow. This day the weather was nice and the rain held out so we wouldn’t get soaked while walking around. Rachel took us to Glasgow University where she studies and showed us the older part of the school. The original buildings of the University are mainly used for professors’ offices and the classrooms are housed in newer buildings. This was a beautiful school and after walking under the multiple barreled archways we reached the other side of the school which presents a great view of the city. Another feeling of joy during my excursion happened at this beautiful place. It was so nice, and I was so happy to be in Scotland with MK and Rachel. After touring the school I had to get fish and chips at one of the local pubs before the football match. The fish and chips was everything I hoped for and although I only had a coca-cola with my meal that day, while in Scotland I did try the cider and it was very good. This is one thing you can’t find much of in Italy. Once we had eaten, we met Iona (Rachel’s roommate) and her father at a football match. One of Glasgow’s local team was playing a team that was said to be a favorite of famous politicians in Scotland. Once the second half rolled around I had purchased a scarf, I was yelling at Thistledown (the team we were rooting for) to stop making stupid mistakes and getting mad when they did. It’s interesting to see how quickly one gets into a game after being there for only a short while. In front of us there were three generations of a family. The father, son, and grandfather were all yelling at the team. It was quite entertaining to watch them all and hear what they had to say. Once we left the game the sun had left Glasgow and it was time to find some dinner. We cooked again, and this night it was grilled cheese and tomato soup. I had forgotten what pre-sliced orange cheddar cheese tasted like and very much enjoyed it in my grilled cheese! Rachel and her friends were all heading out for Halloween festivities after supper, and even though I didn’t have a costume I couldn’t let it stop me from going out dancing. We returned to the student union, whose interior was a little more festive, and line was about ten times as long as the previous night. I reconnected with some Scots who were part of an exchange program my high school had with a high school in Oban, Scotland. It was good to see them after having met them in the states. We all had so much fun that we stayed out until about 3 in the morning, and by the time I returned to Rachel’s flat MK and I had to pack up and catch a taxi to the bus station. We rushed off after a short but sweet trip to Glasgow very early Sunday morning.

Since the only bus we could catch arrived at the airport over an hour before our flight I was able to get one hour of sleep on some chairs before boarding. I believe that MK and I both slept from the moment we took off from Glasgow to the moment we landed London. Upon arriving the rain was coming down, and when you add rain to sleep deprivation the only thing that your body wants to do is sleep. After searching the internet, I had found out there wouldn’t be any shows in London that night and all my body wanted was a little sleep. After a long nap, MK and I had one final dinner together at a restaurant in Kensington (a neighborhood near hers’). The break had all gone by too fast, and I can honestly say it was the first time I wasn’t aching to come back to Sansepolcro because I didn’t want to leave good friends and new places so quickly. Now I’ve returned and we have only a month left here! It’s hard to believe how long I have been in Italy now, but then sad to think about leaving in another month. All of these beautiful experiences allow the days to fly by! Only a little more than two weeks and my sister will arrive for Thanksgiving week.

“This is the day that the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it!! :) ”

Bear With Me--Lots of Thoughts

2009-10-24T06:35:00.000-07:00

There have been many different revelations for me throughout this past school week. I have made some realizations about the amazing women I live with and also in many more aspects of Italian life and history.

I should start by talking about the wonderful women I have now lived with for almost two months. It’s hard to believe it has only been that long, because we have begun to finish one another’s sentences and call each other out for common mistakes. Each one of is so different and unique in our own way, and it has been interesting to watch this. Sam, Nicole, and I all like to talk way too much, but at the same time we still have our differences. I would begin to brag about each of the wonderful women here but I think there is a large chance ill get emotional, as i remember we only have 6 weeks left together. I can honestly say that I believe there is a reason we were each brought here, and that we are supposed to all be here together at this point in our lives. I have come to appreciate Amanda’s helpfulness, Bekah’s gentleness, Chelsea’s patience, Jackie’s wit and sarcasm, Jenna’s creativity, Lauren’s energy, Nicole’s positivity, and Sam’s friendliness. While discovering these qualities in each woman, I have found that one thing we all have is an obvious compassion, not only for our experience here in Italy but for life. Everyone realizes how amazing it has been to be here, and I each one of us will walk away changed, in a positive way, from our time in Sansepolcro.

Changing subjects from the amazing women I live with and moving onto goodbyes seems fit. This is because we only have a little more than a month left. Considering I can’t imagine leaving this place and these people, the thought of saying goodbye to it all will be incredibly difficult. After reading Frederick Buechner, as I do every night before bed, I am reminded of the significance of saying “goodbye.” Before the word goodbye was simplified, people said “God be with you.” Doesn’t this seem to be less depressing, but very touching at the same time? I closed my book, set it back on my bed side table, and promised myself that when I left these wonderful people in Sansepolcro I wouldn’t say “goodbye,” but perhaps something more uplifting. Maybe I will tell them “see you again” or “God be with you” (if I feel comfortable enough that is). Either way, I think it is important to remember how this phrase began today whether we’re leaving loved ones for a long time, or just a short while.

I will now move from collective thoughts and realizations to some experiences I’ve had this week. Wednesday the science and society class traveled to the Aboca factory a few miles away from Sansepolcro in San Giustino. Here they make many organic products and natural remedies from plants they grow themselves. When we arrived we were given white paper robes and hats to wear in order to protect all of the plants. Seeing everyone in these bland, cheap cover-ups was a hilarious moment for me. After taking pictures in our cool new wardrobes, we walked through the factory, where the different plants are dried and then processed into powders to make the different products. All of their products are grown organically, and Aboca has a certification that assures all of those plants are indeed organic. I really enjoyed grabbing an extra sprig of dried mint and crumbling it between my fingers. The smell was so fresh and delicious! After stealing the spare plants from the drying racks we went into the packaging area where we saw them making and packaging the products they make. I wanted to steal the boxes of tea and sample honeys that were being labeled, but chose to keep my hands in my pockets to avoid getting arrested. I figured it was a better idea to visit the Aboca museum and store before I left in December. Each room of the factory had some amazing scent, which filled my nostrils and then sent happy feelings through my blood stream. As if the afternoon hadn’t been amazing enough, our guide gave me a business card for her rock climbing company in San Giustino. It is my plan to find a way there before I go home!

Thursday entailed two hours of Spanish in the morning as it always does, but we moved Sara’s Italy Today class to the afternoon. This is because a man from the theater in nearby Anghiari came and to speak and show us a film about a man killed by the Mafia, “I Cento Passi.” His name is Giuseppe Impastato, and his house was one hundred steps from another man's, who was very involved with the Mafia. Giuseppe never feared the Mafia, but instead expressed his hate toward them over a radio station he created with other fearless friends. Giuseppe left home when his Dad, a boss and member of the Mafia, and him could no longer live together under Giuseppe's bitterness towards the Mafia. Giuseppe's father was killed one evening, most likely by a member of the Mafia who is still unknown. Giuseppe went on speaking his mind on the radio until the day of his set up death on May 8th, 1978. His bitterness towards the Mafia began after he witnessed the death of his uncle at the age of 15. This movie moved all of the girls and I so much, and I think that everyone will agree with me when I say that we were speechless after the movie. I was disgusted by the Mafia after seeing this movie and reading about them in Italy Today.

Friday was my second week at the elementary school, Maestre Pie in Sansepolcro. This week I went to the school a little more prepared than last week and had some Halloween activities for my three classes. The first class was a level V class, and we colored a haunted house. The challenge came when I told them to “color the roof orange” in English. With a little help thekids did a good job, and next I had the level I students who would have to color pumpkins of a certain number a specific color. They all gave me the same helpless look that I often give my Italian teacher when I have no idea what she has said. After realizing they didn’t understand what I was asking I began to walk around and help students individually. This was a nice feeling, because I knew I was making closer connections with the students. Another way that I benefit from going into the schools is when the students are talking in Italian and force me to practice mine. I am almost positive that I ended up at the school where the lease amount of English is spoken to students. After being frustrated last week, I tried to accept it as a challenge this week. Each week I am taught some simple word that I use over and over again while I am with my students. This week that word was questa which means “this” and I could use it over and over again to ask the children simple questions. Because I was also teaching them some Halloween words in English, I learned some of them in Italian, strega which means witch. Some of the pictures I had drawn on the chalkboard were so terrible that it was hard to identify what they were, but when they said it in Italian I looked up the word and told them if they were correct. When you teach elementary school level children English, you feel a little stupid if you don’t go into it knowing a pretty good amount. This has challenged me to study more, and the kids have become a sort of motivation for my Italian studies.

After class on Friday we were having some special guests from The University of Rochester in New York that have been studying in Arezzo for the semester. My only concern after their visit was why we hadn’t met them earlier. They were all so kind and I shared some great conversation with some of them, specifically one girl Rashiida, who is the also a sophomore and sat beside me at lunch. She is majoring in anthropology, like my sister did at Davidson, and she is also majoring in international studies. We had really good conversation about culture and differences of each human. She has had classes about these topics, but I am just interested in theme on a non scholarly level. It is fascinating that people come from so many different cultures, backgrounds, and families. We talked about our realizations that if everyone were the same than we may all lose our individuality. Sometimes it seems that if we all thought a like the world could be better, but I think that if it wasn’t for all of the creative thoughts from the billions on the Earth we wouldn’t be at the place we are today. People must also challenge themselves through experience, because I truly believe it is through experience that you learn some of life’s greatest lessons. We all exchanged numbers with different students from Rochester and hope to see them again soon. We will all go through Arezzo soon and be able to reconnect over a cup of coffee, or some food. Luckily none of them seemed to be big baseball fans, so my fear of having Yankees fans in MY palazzo never was a concern.

Now it is a beautiful Saturday in Sansepolcro, as the sun peaks through the dark clouds, which fill the sky and the beautiful valleys and farm lands seem to go on for eternity as Nicole and I run beside the river. Life is good here in Sansepolcro, and for at least the rest of the afternoon I must be productive by sitting with Carlo Levi’s biography. This means I must put down the computer and resist a college student’s #1 source of procrastination, Facebook. While listening in the most recent Vintage 21 sermon yesterday, I learned that over 50 million people are subscribed to Facebook and spend a total of over 6 billion minutes on it a day. I wish this would have made me feel bad enough to stay off of it for a long time, but I think it’s now a disturbing addiction. As Conan O’Brian says, by the end of 2009 the 3 different worldwide sites Twitter, MySpace ,and Facebook will combine to make youtwitface.com. I found that quite humorous. Hope you enjoyed bearing through all of my thoughts from the past five days! Now to get down to business! ciao

A Birthday In Italy

2009-10-20T03:00:00.000-07:00

Thursday marked the day of my nineteenth birthday, but my first ever birthday in Italy. I feared that the day would leave me missing home and wishing I was with my family, but it left me feeling love from everyone I live with here in the palazzo. My morning began with the usual routine of getting up and brushing my teeth, then opening my wardrobe to change. This particular morning balloons began to fly out of my wardrobe. The girls had stuffed 20 balloons in there, nineteen for my nineteen years of living and an extra for good luck. Since my birthday has not yet become a national holiday here yet, it was off to class. Who knew this would continue to bring gifts. The Bankers gave me a lovely gift of lavender, which sent continues to fill my room long after the birthday celebrations. I also got a card from Vivian our alumni guest, and cookies from Sara our Italy Today teacher. Lunch, as usual was a feast but on my birthday we had lasagna with meat sauce AND with pesto. As if the first dish wasn’t divine enough there were still two courses remaining. The last was my amazing birthday tart topped with letter candles to spell auguri which the Italians say to mean best wishes on ones birthday. Everyone’s head was adorned with a festive birthday hat, and I got my own “princess” birthday hat. We decided to spend lunch speaking only improper grammar, to in turn annoy John Rose. Little did we know he would only join in on the idea, and this made the rest of lunch hilarious. I got a gift from everyone, which was a tray that had a scene of Venice on it and after lunch, Nicole and I convinced Amanda to run with us. This is one of the 19 things that were included on a list of 19 things I had to complete for my birthday by Sunday. More stories will come about this as you read on. The remainder of the day and night was mellow, as we all enjoyed a nice dinner at the Fiorentina restaurant near the palazzo. The girls refused to let me pay for my meal and when we returned back to the palazzo, a few of them had made me a cheesecake adorned with brightly colored strawberries. I somehow managed to miss the girls working on any of these things for my birthday, but loved being so surprised. When a cake was brought to my at the restaurant, there was a sparkler on top of it. I thought the girls had planned some sort of sick joke on me, because as they all know I am terrified of sparklers. They promised it wasn’t there because of anything they had said, but purely by coincidence. They DID however, buy me a package of these terrifying sparklers for my birthday and gave them to me with my cheesecake. We decided it was best to rest Thursday, as Friday and Saturday were promised to last much longer into the night.

Friday I had to get up early and go to my school for Service Learning. I was placed in a private elementary school within walking distance of our palazzo, called the Maestre Pie. Here I helped three different classes learn English. The first class I had was the Level V class and this class has studied clothes and body parts. We played bingo using different kinds of clothes, and I explained you wear your shoes on your feet and your ring on your finger, etc. This class was smaller and the kids weren’t too bad. The next class was the Level I students who all averaged about six years. When I say all, I mean the 25 loud children that filled the room. In my time at the school I probably spoke more Italian than they spoke English, but this was because they were young and have not developed on a high level of comprehension yet. I am impressed that the Italian school system puts language in its curriculum so early on. Each student in class one came up to be individually and was asked how old they were in English. They each, in their own way and in their own time, told me how old they were. We didn’t get too much farther except for a song of “hellos and his.” The last group I had for two hours, and this was the Level III class. They were learning vocabulary for family and numbers up to fifty. This meant that I could introduce the members of my family using a picture and also tell them how old my sister and I were. Because they haven’t gone past fifty in numbers, and I wasn’t feeling daring Friday I couldn’t tell them my parent’s age. Maybe this is an idea for the next class. All in all, the experience in the school was fun, but I think that when I go back this week I will prepare a better plan for the students so that way they can learn more English in a more structured way. Because my morning wore me out I rested after lunch and began to prepare for an evening at K Café with some of the girls. This night I had to begin completing some of the 19 things that were on my list. While I would love to share the list, some of the tasks will be left unknown. Friday at K Café I did manage to take a picture with a young random Italian man, get someone to get me a drink, met and took a picture with a girl whose birthday was in October, and get the phone number of one of the bartenders. This night we began to get close with all the people that work at K Café, and I enjoyed this because we go there so often but don’t always talk to the bartenders very much. We returned back to the palazzo before the sun rose so we could rest up for our Saturday adventures.

Saturday we were to arrive on the bus at ten o’clock sharp in order to ride to La Verna. La Verna is a beautiful city, known for its beautiful church, which was a favorite retreat for the famous Saint Francis. He was one of the many Saints who I have learned about in my Art History class, and now on this trip. St. Francis had good reason to love La Verna and on our trip there I feel in love also. The city is surrounded by mountains, and is also higher in elevation itself. We even saw a few flakes of snow while in La Verna. This made me thankful of my hat and glove purchase the day before. I chose to venture of a little on my own while the Swabs talked to their students and discovered beautiful crosses made, and also ones etched into the rocks on caves. These were not literally caves, but large rock formations which I find fascinating and also relaxing. This city is also famous for being a spiritual retreat for Catholics. Once we had seen the city, and even watched the processional of a beautiful bride in her wedding, we loaded the bus and headed to Caprese Michelangelo. Here, the annual chestnut festival was being held. We got to see a man literally roasting chestnuts over an open fire. Because of this, I had the Christmas song of “Chestnuts Roasting on An Open Fire” in my head for the rest of the day. This small town is famous for being the birthplace of Michelangelo, the famous artist. He was born and baptized here. For this reason you can tour his house and visit a museum in honor of his amazing sculpture work. Saturday was a productive day, and upon returning to Sansepolcro we changed and headed out for the last night of birthday celebration. Things started at K Café, where we enjoyed the company of one another and a drink and talked with our friends. The music began and got us all in the mood to go dancing, which led us to our next stop at Sansepolcro’s disco techa Le Scorpione. I was intimidated by the number of well dressed guards they had working, and even more worried when we entered and the dance floor was empty. The dance club finally became lively around 1:30am, which is near closing time for American dance clubs. By 3 in the morning it was time for me to find my bed, but before leaving I got a few more things checked off my list of 19. I danced with a random person, and as I always do I danced my heart out on the dance floor. It was interesting to me that so many men were well dressed and instead of attempting to “grind” or dirty dance with a girl would enjoy dancing by themselves or with their friends. Funny thing was that me being the American woman that I am, decided that they all had to be gay because they weren’t being completely perverted or attempting to force me to dance with them. I should have found their fun and non perverted nature at the discotecha normal, but thanks to my experience in the states I was in shock. I slept longer than usually into the next morning and Sunday can be referred to as a “lazy Sunday afternoon.” I stayed in my warm bathrobe after a walk and coffee with Nicole, and proceeded to watch two chick flicks in a row curled up in a wool blanket with a cup of hot chocolate. For now, I’ll go find that same couch and wool blanket and cuddle up with my Levi books for Dr. Webb’s class. This won’t be as cheerful an experience, as the books for her class can only be described as depressing. One must do ones work however, and the reality is these things all really did happen in history. CIAO!

"The people who walk in darkness have seen a great light"

2009-10-19T02:32:00.000-07:00

The people who walk in darkness have seen a great light. These words come from Isaiah 9, verse 2 in the bible, which celebrates Christ’s coming. This verse is famous, and reminds believers that even in the darkness of today, great light comes. One night, about a week ago, I found a devotional in a book by Frederick Buechner that referred to this same verse. Buechner is an amazing author, who has a way of making his readers nod their heads up and down because his words always seem to make so much since. He reminds us that if we think of darkness as “a world where nobody can see very well” or if we think of that darkness as all of the “conflict in the world,” then we’re all indeed living in a world of darkness. I have seen darkness in my own life when I was lost and didn’t know what I was going to go next for or when I was fighting conflict which seemed to have no end. Everyone in the world sees this same darkness daily if they open a newspaper, or turn on their television and watch the news. As I had my moment of devotion, I realized that although I am having this amazing experience in Italy, there continues to be darkness all around this city, and in this country. The darkness may not be in the palazzo where I have community with amazing young woman and eat the best food ever made, but it is in the reality of discussions on WWII which we have in our Literature class. The darkness may not be on the friendly streets under us, which roar with noise of friends and lovers. However, there is darkness on the winding mountain roads where women stand and sell their bodies for sex night after night. I can’t say that I have felt darkness in the “perfect” moments I have had in Italy, looking at beautiful mountains and being completely content in my decision to come here for the semester. I can see darkness when I am lost in why I really did come or where life will lead me next. I think because we as humans are continuously questioning what is coming next in life and not living in the present we are often in the dark. When we live in the present, we are able to see the beauty of the moment and come to, in some since or another, appreciate it. I walked into this program in a great darkness, never having come to Italy and not knowing these women very well. Now that I am here I see the beautiful “great light” which has been created from my living out this experience. I have a new family, a new community, and a new appreciation for new things! It is all a beautiful experience and journey which continues daily <3

Imagine What A Year Can Do

2009-10-15T14:33:00.000-07:00

There have been so many things that I have seen, felt, learned, and experienced in the past year that have brought me to this exact moment here in Italy. For that reason, I wanted to get those things out right now. This time a year ago I was half way done with my first semester of college. It was about this time last year that I was finally adjusting to my new home in Raleigh and finding new friends at Meredith. The adjustment to Meredith from the small town of Laurinburg deemed to be more difficult than I ever imagined. It was the strength I gained in my first few months at Meredith that brought me to this moment. I ended a chapter of my life and a lot changed with a new school, new home, and new realtionships.

Once adjusted to Meredith I didn’t hesitate to jump into trying out all the school had to offer. By winning the election for vice president I met more girls from the class of 2012 than I thought possible. I discovered what Cornhuskin at Meredith College really was “all about” and did my part to be involved. I helped see Meredith College’s first habitat house go up and worked with MEA and my freshman class to plan events on campus. I declared my major in interior design and found out that students weren’t lying when they said that you will stay up all night for interior design projects. I learned how much it takes to put on a dance performance after putting in many hours of practice for an amazing and packed weekend of dancing. When I wasn’t stuck in a book, at a meeting, at dance practice, or in the interior design studios, I was with the amazing girls of second Barefoot. It seems that all the girls on my hall quickly “clicked” and became friends. I now have new life-long friends, like my roommate Megan Adkins, my future suitemate Jodi Von Jess, and my partner in crime Betsy Graves. That doesn’t even begin the list of amazing women who have touched my life, and taught me so much about myself. All of these experiences helped my fall more in love with Meredith College, Raleigh, interior design, and dance.

Because I wasn’t at home anymore, I felt that the relationships with those left behind or far away was going to be tested, and they indeed were. Some relationships lasted longer than others, but sitting here a year later I can say that I am so happy for each person from home that is still close to my heart. I left behind my Friday night football games and weekend long guard competitions, but still carry the memories I had with my “cheetah girls” and instructor Lynda. Amazing that after almost five years now, us “cheetah girls” still all keep in touch and remain close. The test of distance was also thrown upon my family as I left my home of eighteen years on Coble Drive. There my mother and father raised me into the young woman I am today. My parents and sister have challenged me to be stronger than I ever thought I could be, and achieve more than I ever thought I would. It is there support that got me through difficult times and now to here in Italy. My friends no longer resided in Laurinburg but in Raleigh, Wilmington, Greenville, Boone, and even across the country in California. Distance challenges friendships, but the ones that were meant to remain always do, and have for me. Being across seas from the ones I love presents a challenge, but also a realization that no matter the distance, true friends will remain.

Leaving home also meant leaving the church I grew up in. I was determined to find a Presbyterian church in Raleigh but the Lord had other plans in store for me. It was his plan for me to find the amazing community I have found at Vintage 21, a non denominational church in downtown Raleigh. The day that my friend Jodi took me to Vintage for the first time, I was scared about how I would feel. I left the church feeling renewed from the worlds that Pastor Tyler spoke, and still get the same feeling every Sunday that I leave Vintage now. Once I was in love with Vintage, I had to find a community group to be a part of. I was led to Hannah Mohr’s community group and the endless amount of love I have felt from all of them truly made my time in Raleigh even better. It was because of this amazing community that I have had a renewal in my faith. That same faith has gotten to me to Italy, and through hard days here.

Upon leaving Raleigh, and the amazing year of growth I had there, I was off for another adventure in the mountains o f North Carolina. Little did I know that I was about to meet many amazing people, and fall in love with the mountains while being at Holston Presbytery Camp. Because I had never even been to Holston Presbytery Camp, I was taking a big leap of faith to spend my summer there. I loved the camp, but more so the counselors I worked with and the weekends we spent together at my cabin in Blowing Rock. It was this summer that I learned how to relax and enjoy the beauty that surrounds me, because in any situation there is beauty. I found beauty in the mountains and in each person I met.

I took that lesson and brought it with me here to Italy. The mistakes I made, which led to the lessons I learned, which led to the choices I made, which led to this; the best decision I have ever made. Coming to Italy was a spur of the moment decision. Since my start at Meredith my study abroad mind set was for me to be in Africa somewhere, which I now know is South Africa. Because this opportunity in Italy sounded like one I shouldn’t let up on I chose to apply. After being accepted I realized “this is real! I’m going to Italy.” Each girl in the Palazzo Alberti was brought here for some certain reason, but one of those had to be to touch my life. I was worried to be away from my family and friends at home, but I have learned this is my new family. These girls are like my sisters, each here to teach me something. Dr. Webb and John Rose act as my adopted parents for the semester; here to teach me not only correct grammar, but many more lessons on life I am sure will be remembered for a long time. I am thankful for another year of life, another year of lessons learned, and another year of experiences to have had! If so many amazing things have happened in my eighteenth year of life, who knows the amazing things coming my way for year nineteen!

Gathering Thoughts

2009-10-15T07:09:00.000-07:00

There are a few things I have forgotten to mention, as well as some things that are new which I should share with everyone! Where should I begin? I told you all about my experiences in Venice, in pouring down rain or when it was piovendo gatti e cani (raining cats and dogs). I however, left out my observations on umbrella use in small streets, no more than 4 or 5 feet wide. As one learns in Italy, if you are on a skinny road you stay to one side or the other. A slim road with umbrellas makes this already stressful task even more interesting. As one chose to lift their arm, raising their umbrella above the heads of others, everyone coming the opposite way must recognize their maneuver and lower their umbrella. This all become fascinating, as I watched each person recognize those around them and move their umbrella accordingly. You could count on having one or two every couple of small streets who would not catch on and hit their umbrella against yours. This small, yet mathematical procedure made for a more entertaining adventure to our destination.

Tuesday the Swabs, who are teaching the science and society class, took their students to a farm right outside of the city. I chose to take my bike and go along for the adventure, and I am surely glad I did! When we arrived I was already in love with the house, placed in the valley with mountains surrounded me, 360 degrees. As if the scenery wasn’t enough, this family makes wine. We had the chance to see one of the seven brothers of the family move a “mashed up” grape solution from a “mask,” which stores the substance until it is time to be made into wine, to a wine press. After transferring the grapes, he covered them with wood in order to begin the pressing process. People took turns pumping the press and creating the juice, which would be filtered to its final state as wine. This family also keeps their own prosciutto(like country ham in the states) and cans their vegetables. It all reminds me a lot of my mom’s parents. They also have chickens (and one rooster of course), dogs, cats, cows (mucche) and pigs. All of the farm animals were another small reminder of the small hometown I come from. The afternoon ended with the amazing spread of snacks they had prepared for us. Eating when I return to the states will most likely never be the same, because it seems every time I eat in Italy I have the best conversation and community. It is a beautiful thing.

The week continues to move right along, as does every day here in Italy. Today is my birthday, and celebrating a birthday in Italy is most likely once in a lifetime for me. The girls filled my wardrobes with 20 balloons (one for good luck) and gave me a list of 19 tasks I must complete by Sunday. Readers will hear about the rest of the activities after checking in at the end of the weekend. Well, you will hear of most of the activities, but perhaps not all! Until then, CIAO

Communication

2009-10-13T11:53:00.000-07:00

This is a travel to learn assignment that I did but also thought was a good story from my weekend in Venice!

My experience in Venice this weekend was a perfect example of the difference in communication between Americans and Italians. Vi, Sam, and I asked ten people for directions to the Hard Rock Café before finding it two hours later. We can blame ourselves for lack of preparation because we had no map (with Hard Rock Café on it) and weren’t sure where it was, only that is was close to San Marco. I choose to blame the Italians for our long adventure in the rain because they all had a high context style of communication. Had one of the first people we asked told us that we had to take more than one left or right to make it to Hard Rock Café, we may have arrived earlier. Instead, each person said “to the left” or “to the right” giving us false hopes that perhaps it was only one right or one left away. Now I’m not sure if they were attempting to point us in a precise direction with their arm gestures, but I somehow feel they may not have cared at all. Some were direct and helpful, while others seemed to not care and told us to go to the left or right. It was the direct and non circular communication which the last woman we asked used that got us to the restaurant. She first turned to face the direction we should leave the store in, then proceeded to tell us the first right then a left and another right in clear Italian with motions in case we had not understood. After finally getting to lunch I was able to realize I had just experienced multiple styles of communication from direct to indirect and from linear to circular.

More to come soon about the week thus far. I can guarantee is has been less stressful, but less exciting at the same time! :)

"Heaven Sighting #2 and "The Flood"

2009-10-11T13:27:00.000-07:00

The second heaven sighting happened for me on Friday when our Italian teacher, Ciara, took us to Perugina, the largest chocolate factory in Italy. In the factory 120 lines run each day to produce more types of chocolate than I should probably know about if I want to continue to lose weight here. The factory was first owned by two families, one of which was Sansepolcro’s own Buitoni family. God bless their idea to put the factory in Perugia, very close to Sansepolcro, but also God bless them for expanding it to be as large as it is today. After hearing about the factory we got a tour of it. As soon as I walked into the factory the scent of chocolate filled my nose and my pupils probably looked as though they were dialated. There was chocolate pouring into molds and flying down conveyer belts everywhere I looked. Baci are the chocolate/hazelnut candy popular to Perugia and only made at Perugina. There are 1500 of them made every minute of every day. That is a lot of Baci, a lot of Baci for Hannah to eat! It was apparent I had stepped out of heaven when I stepped into the gift shop and was repeatedly confronted by an “Italian” American woman. She asked if we were Americans and then went on to say that we were in her group’s way and we were being rude. I was quickly set off by this woman, who seemed American and judged me to be rude solely because I was American. She went on to tell us that she was American, but that we were “in her country.” Don’t worry; I was confused by this also. I tried to forget how offended she had made me and went on to have a great day with my friends and our teacher Ciara over a great lunch, which included one finally Italian lesson. She is done teaching us and our new teacher, Francesca, will come tomorrow. I experienced the mini metro on the way to the train station for Ferrara. The “mini metro” is a small one car metro which is run by computers I assume, as there was no driver.

From Perugia is was off to Ferrara where we were staying with our friend Giacomo and meeting up with Nicole, who studied in Ferrara last fall. We were too tired to last into the night the way the Italians do and got to sleep after a trip to LoboLoco, a bar Nicole took us to with the sweetest bartender. We got up a little later than planned and walked faster than the average American (so this is way faster than the average Italian) to get to the train station for our train to Venice. I think Samantha, Vi, and I all had a chance to catch up on our sleep on the full train to Venice, and when we arrived it was pouring. We were told it may rain, but we didn’t want to listen to anyone. We stepped out into the city and less than thirty minutes after being there we were all soaked. We each weighed about 10 more pounds than we had upon arrival simply because we were so wet! At one point Samantha and I walked straight through a puddle filling our shoes with even more water, looked at one another and could do nothing more but laugh. We reached the point where we decided we would only “see” Venice, we would not be “doing” Venice. I must include that another reason for time loss was the two and a half hour search for the Hard Rock Café where we ate burgers that CAME with fries and drank diet Pepsi (not Coke) which had free refills. I am ashamed to have gone there and spent the 25 euro I did on my meal, but was completely content on getting my one American meal complete with free refills and Rolling Stones playing in the back ground. It was time to accomplish our next and last mission for the day before returning back to Ferrara, going to Murano by way of the water bus. This city is the one known for its glass making and it had a charm which I enjoyed, especially when the sun began to peak through the clouds and force me to pull out my sunglasses. I peeked into a window to find a man (or perhaps it WAS a woman) blowing glass to create what looked like a wine stopper. This art has always fascinated me because blowing glass is a tedious job, which can make things frustrating. I have a friend from the summer who blew glass in his garage and had to keep everything he was working on at a certain temperature, while moving, and while making sure air was being circulated. I ended up making some good purchases before we left to head back to Venice. This time we took the water bus directly to the train station, and wished we had known about the stop upon our arrival in the down pour. It would have been nice to learn about a more convenient way around ahead of time, but would have made for an unexciting day. I left Venice planning to return back, and while I probably won’t make it back this time, next time I’m in Italy I will return!

We boarded another full train and Sam, Vi, and I were split up again, but this time Vi and I were sitting across from each other and beside two German men. After about fifteen minutes I decided they had to be German but I wanted to ask. I didn’t know whether to ask in Italian or English or at all. I am glad I asked because these two young men turned out to be very nice and know a lot of English. They taught me a few simple German words and after they got off Vi continued my language lesson by teaching me to count in Vietnamese. Vi and I ate a small dinner and instead of heading off for the discotecha we decided to return to Giacomo’s. Today we all got some extra sleep and Nicole showed us all the places she loves in Ferrara. The city reminds me of Sansepolcro in a way, but larger and with more stores (ones that I can afford) and many more bikes! Arriving back in Sansepolcro gave me the same bittersweet feeling it always does. There is a sad feeling that another weekend is over here in beautiful Italy, but amazing feeling of being “home” in Sansepolcro, which overwhelms me. I have sat down and written another blog as I always do Sunday nights upon my return, and I’ll now retreat to bed thinking about all of the things I should have done tonight before sleep, but won’t do because of sheer exhaustion. Buono notte!

Good Wine and Good Company

2009-10-08T14:37:00.000-07:00

More days have passed in this beautiful Tuscan town of Sansepolcro. Things have calmed down with exams completed and the trustees preparing to leave. This leaves me with mixed emotions as an amazing art history class ends and new friends from the Meredith college community are made. The guests will be gone upon my return from Venice and Ferrara for the weekend, which will be strange. It seems they have had a way of teaching me many things while they were here that I didn’t know about Meredith.

Important guests mean fun activities, and one of these which we were invited to was a wine tasting. Yes, I had a wine tasting with the president of my college and some of the most important faculty, trustees, and alumnae. I felt like a professional of wine after these few hours of counting “legs” on a wine glass to see how much wine content it contained along with smelling it for certain fruits and flowers. Call me crazy but I always connected grapes with wine, not pears and other fruits or flowers. Italy as most people know is known for their wine, but it is no wonder because Italy has over 300 kinds of grapes. This blew my mind, but also made it possible for me to realize how people can compare wines and actually taste many differences. Rose wine alone can be made in many ways. You can mix different types of grapes, only use the flesh of the grape, or use red grapes to create your desired red wine. My dad made beer while I was growing up and the process has always fascinated me. After the wine tasting I am fascinated with the way the thousands of different wines in Italy are made. It’s not just some smashed grapes in a wooden barrel. The barrels are of certain wood, the grapes of certain vines and locations, and the “smashing” of a certain art. The location of the wine tasting and the detail explained for such things began to fascinate me. I assume I will have to continue tasting them while I am legally allowed, then when I return to the states I can show people how to properly open their wine bottles and teach them about their wine.

The company of the people at the wine tasting added to its amazing atmosphere. The arrival of these important Meredith faculty and friends has brought with it amazingly long lunches that include some great conversation. I feel lucky to get to talk to women who graduated from Meredith in 1946 and still love the college so much that they would come for the opening of the Palazzo Alberti. Also, having president Hartford here along with the trustees reminded me of how important this was to them also. This place has become like a home and knowing that I have made one of the best decisions of my life by coming to Sansepolcro is something I cannot describe to anyone. I believe the only other people that can truly understand it are the other 8 girls studying here with me. If I think about December 6th ill just break down into tears. For now I must sleep because there is a long weekend ahead after a busy week with little sleep included!

Can’t wait to tell about the next adventure CIAO AMICI
:)

grand opening weekend!

2009-10-04T16:18:00.001-07:00

Oh my, I can’t begin to describe how tired I am, but I also won’t get a chance to explain WHY I am as tired as I am if I don’t blog tonight. Where to begin? Who know the weekend that wore me out the most so far would be the weekend I stayed in Sansepolcro? This weekend was the grand opening of the Palazzo Alberti, home of Meredith College in Italy, OFFICIALLY! I feel honored to be one of the “immortal nine” as we like to refer to ourselves as, and while it has been tiring to remain charming it has been truly amazing to meet so many alumni and friends of the college.

While I would love to tell the story of the night before all of our guests arrived, I must condense it for the sake of its ridiculousness. We all decided we would enjoy ourselves and the company of one another one more time before the madness began so we went to KCafe. I discovered a guy I had noticed, who works at the bar with his girlfriend and to make the story short we caused a scene in one of the most popular bars in the city! No, no girlfriends of crushes were hurt in this story but it was too funny not to mention, even I am not telling it in its entirety.

Saturday morning as soon we were out of the bed we began to prepare to for the day’s activities. I quickly learned where the flower shop was, and how fast a palazzo can be cleaned with teamwork. We all pitched in and did exactly as directed by Dr. Webb before picking up our guests. Ellen Goode, a professor and wonderful women, brought with her a whole bag of goodies for me, so I was beyond happy to see her. I am now happy to say I now have a beautiful Canon powershot camera and lots of orbit. My dad even slipped in his favorite, Winterfresh and a CD of his music for me! The holey pajamas are currently being worn, and while the hole is too big to even keep my legs warm, I am happy to have received them! Back to what is REALLY important…
After everyone arrived, they came here for an open house and we got to meet all of the wonderful guests that came for the grand opening. This included president Hartford, Dr. Jackson and some other important faces from campus. It was nice to know how much this all means to these people, because this place has already become a second home for us young women. I have realized all of the hard work that has been put into making this all possible, so seeing this weekend finally arrive was exciting, even in the midst of a lot of school work! We visited on of St. Francis’ favorite city with everyone and I had another “moment.” Over the hills and on top of a mountain there were three crosses. I was reminded of how lucky I am to be here! When we returned from Montecasele it was time to attach myself to a chair for the rest of the evening to work on my paper. After four or five hours of work I went to bed so that when I woke up Sunday for the 5K race in San Justino I would be able to run it.

Sunday marked the day of my first ever run in an official race. A 5K, and in Italy which makes it even better! Nicole and I signed up to run and after the Swabb’s arrival less than twenty-four hours before, they chose to run with us too (the Swabb’s are here to teach the science and society class). It was hard to compare a race in Italy to one in the US when I had only been in track meets in the US. This race started with the smaller children’s races in which they ran about 200 meters. I was questioning whether I should have just signed up for that race right before we began. Finally it was time for all the big kids to begin the race. Now before I go any further let me clarify two things. One is that I was not in the 14k competitive race, but the non-competitive 5k race. A girl has to work her way up, you must understand. Second of all I must clarify that apparently being time for the “big kid race” included boys around the age of 12. The reason I know this age was included was because for the first four kilometers of the race, I was in fact racing a 10 to 12 year old little boy. During the third kilometer we were running side my side and I turn to notice that he is looking at me as if he wants to really race me. It was fun to run with him but by the last kilometer he had gotten ahead. Ill blame my “older legs” for beating him, but it is surely to not happen with the next young boy. One thing I will say I know they don’t do in races in the US is give away free cheese to everyone who ran. After the race, we turned in our numbers and each got a bag of goodies which included a one pound slab of cheese. Let’s just say, it was all worth it. Incase you were wondering the man who won the competitive 14 kilometer race was a Kenyan man that came in about three minutes after me making his time only 40 minutes. How people go that fast, I will never know.

Once we found John Rose amongst the crowd, we rushed back to the Palazzo to prepare for a big Sunday lunch with all of the trustees and friends of the college. I was very excited that all the girls in the house were invited. We got a chance to learn about all of the people that had come, and of course eat an amazing meal that was way too large. After eating with amazing people, we rushed back to the palazzo to add finishing touches and tie the ribbon on the door to be cut. It was finally here, and I am so glad I got to be a part of it all! The mayor of Sansepolcro, the natio, and president Hartford were there to cut the ribbon with Dr. Webb and Sarah Andreini (the assistant director for the program) close by. After the ribbon cutting and a presentation by the flagmen and drummers (similar to the Ballestra), the entire town was invited into our home. There were people everywhere! It was madness. I enjoyed seeing so many people interested in the program, and the palazzo. It’s great that now the whole town will know that the palazzo is our home and we are with Meredith College. I’m hoping it means less funny looks and more hellos and questions from people in the streets! The night finished off with a beautiful concert from a choir, our own Chelsea Stith and her piano teacher, and good friends to the program singing opera. It has been a great weekend and I am so thankful for our extension for our art history paper because I’m not sure I could have done such things tonight! It’s hard to be charming all day long after a 5K. Buono notte <3

Heaven's New Neighbor

2009-09-29T12:43:00.000-07:00

This afternoon I got to go to a place I’ve never been before. It was a place nothing could go wrong, where every where I looked I saw beauty, and where I could be so at peace that nothing mattered but that time. I was somewhere that felt like the heaven’s neighbor.

Ok, I was really visiting my art history professors’ home outside of the city of Sansepolcro. I would have to say that it was beautiful beyond words. Their home, the yard, the views, and the community we all shared once everyone was gathered together almost brought me to tears. There I was with this new amazing, loving community I have become a part of in Sansepolcro, Italy. The Banker’s home has the most amazing view of the valley and the mountains, and if you haven’t noticed I am completely and totally in love with the beauty of mountains. If I wasn’t before, after this afternoon it has become official. Looking beyond the hills into the mountains of Italy brought this indescribable peace to my heart. I have come to this beautiful place, and sometimes the school work creates stress, but then I get to have community with beautiful people and even take a free dance class (which I got to do this evening) and I become filled with content.

How lucky I am to be an 18 year old (just give me a few weeks to make that 19 year old!) girl in Italy with 8 amazing girls, and professors who work as hard as I do every day to make this amazing program possible. John Rose, I’m not positive that this will count as an entry to you but I really do feel as though I learned something today. I learned that we have all created a new Meredith community here in Italy and this is a beautiful opportunity. I have already been touched by each student and staff in one way or another. Dr. Webb will continue to give her grunt each time I mess up my grammar by saying “me and someone” and not “someone and *I*.” Let me clarify that Dr. Webb has taught me much more than this in her class and out, and that every single class the conversations held have almost brought me to tears. She reminds me that this is ok because I am lucky to be here, and the things we are talking about are not “light.” John Rose will continue to worry that when I stare into the distance with a worried look on my face that I am upset about something, so I will make sure to smile more. The girls in the palazzo will continue to remind me of the wonderful community we have created, and that when December 6th comes I will have the most bittersweet feelings of my life!

Wow, I am blessed. Each and every one of us having this experience is blessed. It’s only been a month and each day I learn something about myself, this beautiful city, or just the world in general. I have never felt more so full of knowledge and insight. I have learned that I CAN run 40 minutes straight, I live in a beautiful small city in Italy, and this world is full of so much evil and madness that we never think of on a daily basis! I had to take my time to release this all. Now I pray I can release an ORGANIZED 8 to 10 page research paper by Monday! CIAO till my “next release”

im one lucky girl... who loves the mountains!

2009-09-27T09:11:00.000-07:00

Let me begin my blog from the weekend by pointing out I have officially been here over a month. It’s hard to believe I have already been here so long, but when I think about all I have seen it seems it has been forever. I still get two months of this before I come home! How amazing it is to be in the place you know you are meant to be.

This weekend was the first of a few long weekends we get while we’re in Italy. I decided to spend mine conveniently by staying in Sansepolcro Thursday and Friday night and then in Balze on Saturday, which turned out to be a bargain. Although my budget stayed low for the weekend, all that I got to see and do was priceless. On Friday I rode to Cortona, about 45 minutes from Sansepolcro. The roads were windy but the trip was worth it because of the views we got once we were in the city. Nicole, Vi, Sam, and I, along with our friend Giacamo took a simple walk up the hills and around the town to see the beauty this city had to offer. We walked up enough hills to work up an appetite and chose a restaurant, which would come to be more formal than we imagined. Once inside we came across some other American students, who were studying art in Cortona for the semester. I started up conversation with one of the guys whose name was Nathan and he told me his brother graduated from St. Andrews. I thought “you’ve got to be joking.” I knew that he couldn’t have made this up because no one has heard of St. Andrews unless they live in Laurinburg or graduated from the school. I realized once again, it really is a small WORLD; making a Laurinburg connection in Italy, how strange. After talking with some of the students we realized that there was a girl from Meredith studying with them. Erin Campbell is studying with this group in Cortona, and we got the chance to talk to her and invite her to lunch here in Sansepolcro. I think she appreciates studying in a small town, just as all of us girls do. It makes coming home from a weekend or day trip a little more comforting. Small cities seem to have a charming way of being more welcoming. After finishing our dinner, which the waiter retrieved from the elevator to serve us, it was off to Arezzo. In Arezzo we just ended up taking a small passegata before decided to come back to Sansepolcro for the evening.

While in Arezzo, and on the return home from our trip we saw many prostitutes. I only feel I should write about this because it disturbed me enough to leave a permanent imprint on my heart. These African women lined the streets in and around Arezzo, and do so in the larger cities of Italy, such as Milan. Nicole and I learned from Giacamo that these women are often times not standing on the streets by choice, but because their lives are in danger unless they do this kind of work. I assume that pimps take these women from what they know and send them to the streets. Because police aren’t concerned about the problems of prostitution, they have come to ignore these women and they continue to do this forced work (which IS illegal in Italy.) I can’t fathom how these women must feel to be used for sex or how lonely and hurt they must feel standing on the streets of Italy each night. It is my hope that these women can escape this horrible world of prostitution, and that the people forcing them to do this work will be punished.

Turning subjects onto something more light and happy is my adventure Saturday. It was time to do some hiking, and for me missing the mountains I lived in this summer. We went to a town called Balze about 45 minutes away from Sansepolcro and tried to find some good places to hike. We first ventured down to the paths which lead us to where the Tiber River begins. It was cool to think that I was at the starting point of a river so beautiful and popular to Italy. The weather was much colder since we were in the mountains but because we were hiking we managed to be ok with the temperature. The next place we went hiking didn’t have a destination but we found a quant resort with a horse and some very cute dogs. There was beauty in a 360 degree range and I no longer felt like I was in Italy or even America, I felt like I had to be in some kind of dream. The mountains are my retreat, and I keep being reminded of that, even in a foreign country. Taking the random trail and finding all kinds of beautiful views was so peaceful for me. We returned into the town where our hotel was and after walking from the top of the town to the bottom of the town in less than 15 minutes, came to what seemed like the town’s only open restaurant. I enjoyed my fizzy white wine and pizza, and some company from friends Nicole, Vi, Giacamo and Giacamo. It was a great evening which ended sharing different Italian desserts with friends and good conversation with my friend Vi on culture and life in general. It was nice for us to talk about the cultural differences we have seen in our own communities at home, the differences between racial groups in America, and all of the differences between our culture and the American culture.

Another week of class is going to begin tomorrow, after going to Arezzo (if you haven’t learned I must go there to get to most places, or in this case to get most anything done) for our Permesso disagiorno <-couldn’t have spelled that correctly (permits to stay here as students.) I must work hard to get my term paper started before Meredith faculty and friends arrive for the opening this weekend! It’s a busy time of the semester! Ciao until next time :)

news from a week without internet!

2009-09-25T05:55:00.000-07:00

I must vent in some way and so I am choosing to do it in a productive way by blogging! I can complain and let everyone know how I feel. The lack of convenient internet access has begun to make me crazy, but also made me realized how much I rely on an unreliable form of communication. I will always remember what Dr. Webb said about the internet, that “I knew they called it the curser for a reason.” Some days I think something out there wants to see how far I can go without completely losing it. I will not lose my mind; instead I will accept the fact that I am impatient and should not trust the internet. There are many books that I could use to type my English paper and find a topic for my art history term paper. I don’t REALLY need the internet. It is interesting to notice how frustrated I get when I don’t get the internet while writing about the limited communication during World War 2. These people were lucky when their lovers got a letter from them, but because I can’t check my Facebook or see if there is enough information on the web to write about architectural motifs in the 15th century I come close to tears. The steps we have made in communication are huge. Even though it currently requires leaning out the window, I can talk to someone using a camera and microphone, across the world for FREE. These forms of communication are gifts! I do hope my English paper turns out well, and I also hope I find a topic for my art history paper that could be done without internet, and perhaps only books. At least I would know it was possible to go without the internet if I completed my work well. (written the 22nd but getting on the blog now…)

On Wednesday we were able to go on yet another art history trip, this time to Urbino. I remind myself every trip we take how lucky I am to learn directly from a piece of work, versus staring at slides in an uncomfortable chair of some sort for way too long. Urbino was one of those places I think I will have to go back to before I go home. When we arrived we were able to sit on some beautiful steps to get our lesson from the Bankers. They make such a great pair, because their incredible knowledge fused together makes for an amazing class. We learned some architectural terms, which I was sure I should remember from Dr. Goode’s History of Architectural Furniture class. I decided that I will do my term paper on these terms, finding out which architectural motifs were used more in the 15th century than others and how they were used in the art work of that time. The Palazzo Ducale di Urbino has been turned into a museum, which is where our art trip was to. I loved how each room held certain art work and being that it was so well organized I took in all that there was to see. We saw many “Madonna and child” work as well as more of the “Annunciation” and Piero Della Francesco’s work. The bankers told us that a painting which is worth at the least, 50 million dollars done by Piero was just sitting on a chest the last time they had visited the museum. This time it was in a glass case with a sensor attached for when people like Dr. Banker got too close. What beautiful art I have gotten to see here in Italy! Now to tell you about the virtual library we saw after seeing the entire art museum. Wow, this technology made me feel like I was literally in a Harry Potter movie. You got to touch a book on the wall and it pulled it from the shelf. The pages of these ancient Hebrew written books covered the wall, and you could flip the pages with your hands. Urbino is a must return site, whether it be this trip or in my next adventure to Italy ;)

Now it’s time for the weekend. Tonight I will go to Cortona with Nicole, Sam, and Vi and we will have dinner and dancing with our the two Giacamos! Then tomorrow it is time to go to the MOUNTAINS and camp. Well, we will actually be in a cabin because it will be too cold to camp, which of course is sad for me to hear. I’ll be sharing my adventures again soon! CIAO

In the last week...

2009-09-20T07:11:00.001-07:00

I haven’t been able to write since Siena. This is because of the slight madness I have felt with classes and homework, but also our internet has been anything but convenient the past week. I am currently stealing “Alice’s” internet so that I can get out all I want to say and focus on my English paper (which of course I’m terrified to begin.) Last weekend after returning from Siena I had the chance to attend the Ballestra, Sansepolcro’s most important event of the year. It is a cross bow competition held every year in September. The participants dress up in medieval outfits, which include colorful shirts and tights. Seeing these “macho men” in bright colored shirts and tights confused my normal perception of a strong man shooting his gun (or arrow) in camouflage. While these men were all very skilled, it took a few moments before I could take this competition seriously. I am used to dancers in pink tights and leotards or colorguard members in one-piece unitards, not men shooting cross bows in tights. Once the competition began I was impressed by how many men hit directly on the target. I was sure there would only be around ten arrows that hit the target, but with the exception of just a couple they all hit the middle. After the cross bow competition came the flag throwers. Anyone who knows me is aware that I myself spun flags for six years before starting college, so when these men arrived in the palazzo I was shocked. I didn’t want to underestimate what these men could do, but because of my experience I couldn’t help myself. I was quite impressed that these men (who were also in brightly colored wool shirts and tights) could toss the flag like they did. It showed that they really took time to prepare for this event. The big difference between their flag spinning and the spinning I have done is that we usually are dancing around a bit more. The Ballestra brought with it another chance for me to analyze a cultural difference, this time for something I have experience doing.
Now I get to reflect back on all I learned and saw recently. I guess Dr. Webb’s class last week is important to mention, seeing as how the conversation got so intense my eyes began to produce tears (as they are known for doing over the simplest things.) The conversation in our class has been about WWII in Italy, which I have learned involved many more countries. While I did attend 13 years of school previous to this class, I felt like I hadn’t learned a thing because I didn’t know so many of the things we talked about. I am glad to be learning how many countries were involved in the war, and although it is hard to imagine the reality of the war it is something we should do. No one ever told me growing up that Americans, Poles, Brazilians, South Africans, Moroccans, Indians, and New Zealanders were all involved in WWII. That is just referring to countries on the American and British side. I have to begin my paper on a topic relating to our reading about the war and I think my heart has led me to write about the brutal effects the war had on everyone. I couldn’t imagine watching people I loved dying in front of my eyes or seeing someone hung in a palazzo. Our class discussion reminded me that although the Second World War is over, there is still one going on everyday in Iraq and Afghanistan. Although I am in Italy and not the US for the semester, my ignorance for all the violence happening today is still present. The people of WWII woke up fearing their lives, but because we don’t literally see the violence outside of our windows, we don’t think of it. I am thankful I don’t have to witness such horrible things but at the same time it is important to remember there are people fighting for, and losing their lives for our country every day.
Switching topics to a cultural view of things, I will now tell you about observations from a weekend in the big city of Florence. I had to point out it was the BIG city of Florence because most of my observations were comparing Florence to Sansepolcro, or small towns. The first disappointment came after an American encounter in H&M. There were these two girls in line with way too many clothes in their hands complaining about train tickets. I quickly became annoyed because anyone who could afford the amount of clothes in their hands should not be complaining. Being American, they complained loud enough for me to hear and want to leave the store, and a few minutes later when they came out of the store I saw one of them had an Auburn shirt on. For me, it explained everything but that is only because I am an Alabama football fan! I really am not quite sure why so many Americans complain, when many of us are very lucky. The encounters I had with Americans in Florence again reminded me that I am happy to be living in a small town like Sansepolcro. When Sam, Vi, and I went to the market on Saturday I was quick to notice the number of vendors that said “Hello” versus “Ciao” or “you are American, I will give you good price.” These people frustrated me so much that I didn’t think twice at looking what they were selling and continued on my way. Why is it that so many people in Florence catered to “us Americans?” I don’t think that many people in the US notice where someone is from and begin to speak in their language. Their desire to cater to me disgusted me, and this is why I insisted on speaking (or trying my best to speak) Italian to the people I came in contact with that day, because this is their country and they shouldn’t feel they need to talk to us in English.
No worries, Florence left me feeling more than just frustration. I was very happy to be there, see its beauty and do some shopping. I went to the Accademia and again felt like an idiot upon discovering that Michelangelo’s David is the David from David and Goliath. The things you continue to learn at the age of 18! I also had my first taste of Asian/Thai cuisine right here in Italy. We discovered a very nice restaurant away from the center of town with less Americans, and the food was great. The moment in which I hated being camera-less came when we walked across the Ponte Vecchio after dinner. The cities lights bouncing off the water of the river begged for cute photos. Thanks to Sam and Vi, I will still get to remember the moment! It’s good to be back in Sansepolcro for a while and hopefully I can stay focused over the next few days and produce a good paper for English. My love to everyone at home and far away! Ciao Ciao <3

American Values vs. Italian Values

2009-09-16T07:17:00.000-07:00

Over the past several months, I have grown and my personal values have been strengthened. I left my home of eighteen years, completed my first year of college, and spent the summer working at a camp I had never even seen, and each of these steps prompted changes in me. These experiences provided the foundation I needed to be prepared for this time away from all that is familiar to me. I thought about my values well before my arrival in Italy, but now that I am here I feel as if the time I have spent thinking about them has helped me adjust to this new place. Through the readings in Maximizing Study Abroad, I have not only been led to think about equality, time, change, and informality as cultural values, but also how they are viewed differently in the United States and Italy.
The book states that according to American values we are all equal under law. While I believe that this is true I do not feel as though people live this way. Even while I am at Meredith I haven’t always felt equal to my classmates. A friend nicely summed up Americas new obsession with money and social class one day at a presentation on equality when she said “people aren’t judged on being black, white, or brown anymore because it is now about green.” When she said this she was referring to money while trying to make a point that people are being judged on their level in society today, more so than the color of their skin. I feel we have begun to overcome racism with the first African American president, but now people look at the “green” people have to place them in society. I have also seen this while in Italy starting with a friend telling me about the “farmers” here. These are referred to as the people of the lower class that attempt to act as if they have more money and more importance in society. They are in truth of the lower class because they are making less money and have less important jobs. When it comes to equality I become ignorant because I personally think it is not where it should be, and that is at a less judgmental place than it sits right now.
The gift of time is extremely precious to me since I feel that in each moment of the day I should have a reason to be doing what I am doing. I think that the American way has forced us to value time as something precious, but in a way that hasn’t allowed us the calm “go with the flow” view that Italians seem to have. I admire the fact that most Italians take time to eat a three course lunch every day and take time for a nap. Meanwhile, people from the U.S. may or may not even make time to eat lunch and only wish they could go home for a nap. It is the way that Americans perceive time that is so different from Italians – we can’t waste a minute of the time we are given, and if we don’t take time to do something, then we are wasting time. The American perspective of time connects directly to our value of activity. I agree that Americans feel that instead of simply talking about doing something, they should really do it. This gives us the satisfaction that we are purposeful and focused on a goal. While I see Italians to be just as driven as we are, some may see their lack of activity results in simply not having a goal or idea. In reality, they are more relaxed about the things that need doing and the time needed to complete them.
While the book says that Americans can start over and move on to something else with ease, I disagree on a personal level. I recognize that many Americans are moving to new homes and getting new jobs daily, but when we are asked or forced to completely change our lifestyle we are not always pleasant about it. Changing the natural routine I put myself into throws me off completely and then I have to adjust to this new way of doing things, which then leads to frustration. I think that Italians are so into “going with the flow” that when something has to change they simply accept it while we Americans begin to stomp and shout about it.
As for the section on informality, I couldn’t disagree more. The text says that Americans give off a welcoming “come as you are tone.” While the U.S. is a very diverse nation, it isn’t always an accepting one. If I were to walk through customs behind a man with a turban on his head he would most likely get held up, while I would ease my blonde haired self past. I want to agree that we make everyone entering America feel welcome, but I believe we can’t say we are doing such either. In Italy I have been stared at, which I feel is because I am a blonde haired young woman who looks like an alien to Italians. They may see me and become curious with bitterness about why I am in their town. Americans do the same, and as some point I think everyone I know, including myself, is guilty of giving someone that same curious look.
While I don’t agree with all American values on a personal level, I do feel that many of them hold truth. Also, I want to disagree with some American values, such as time. I can’t do this though, because I have always taken time as a precious gift and I know I don’t give myself enough of a break. I believe that in my time abroad I should watch the way Italians view and value individuality, time, change, and informality so that I can continue to learn and grow in the things I value.

"I could sit here all day!"--my weekend in Siena

2009-09-13T07:21:00.002-07:00

This weekend Lauren, Sam, and I all ventured off to Siena for the weekend. It seems to me that we picked the perfect weekend to line up this trip, see a beautiful city and stay with our new friends, Martha and Ben. Friday we boarded the bus after lunch and I adjusted myself in my seat in what I thought was the best way in order to not get motion sick on the way to Arezzo. We were off to begin our adventure and just half way through our trip to Arezzo our driver pulls over on the side of the road and gets out. Here I am thinking, oh no the bus is messing up and Martha will be waiting forever for us in Arezzo. The driver walks by my window and is smoking a cigarette, really? Our driver stopped mid route for a SMOKE BREAK. I guess it was a reminder that the Italians really aren’t concerned about time, theirs or yours. I would love to feel that same nonchalant feeling for the gift of time, but it will take remolding my entire process of functioning!
We finally arrive in Arezzo, get swept up by Martha and Ben and ride to a small town called Civitella in Val di Ciami if I remember correctly (I can guarantee my attempt as spelling it correctly is defiantly not correct). This small city, which we had the privilege of seeing only because we were riding with Martha and Ben, was the site of a war memorial. Martha told us that at the end of the war this quiet town was attacked and about 150 people were executed. I couldn’t imagine the devastation it caused in a town so small or the amount of families that were affected. I have learned that a lot of families continue to live in the city they grew up in because that is where there family is known to be from and they want to carry their name on in that same city. It was here that I once again saw the charm of a quiet small town city and remembered how great it was to be living in one during my time here.
After seeing that small town it was off to Monte San Savino which is the small town Martha and Ben live in. After arriving to their house we put our stuff in the guest house where we would be staying and turned the two twin beds into a double bed for three. To succeed in fitting 3 girls in one bed (included me and Lauren who have the world’s longest legs) we slept on the bed sideways so that it appeared we were spooning with each other each night. Samantha swears that the first night we all managed to rotate at the same time while sleeping. After seeing the most beautiful sunset I have seen since my arrival to Italy, Martha and Ben took us to a wonderful seafood restaurant in Monte San Savino for dinner. If you are confused like me than you may be surprised I said seafood, but seafood restaurants do exist here. Of course Sam, Lauren and I all opted for the pizza in the end instead of the seafood. The night was amazing and it was finally time to get some sleep, but not before our first taste of Lemoncello and a midnight question from Samantha. As we were walking out the door to go to sleep they told us to make sure that we made enough noise to scare off any animals that may have walked up. Samantha stomped all the way to the guest house, and once we were in bed safe from the wild animals she asked “are there bears in Italy.” The next morning we made sure to ask for clarification of these “wild animals”, and while there are bears in Italy there aren’t too many bears near Martha and Ben’s home.
It was Saturday and time to see Siena at last! Martha and Ben drove us right into the city and dumped us out beside an Irish pub. We walked down a few streets that we could tell we not as well known and further away from the Campo and Duomo, but with really charming and cheap stores. When we finally made it to the Campo we had to just stand and stare for a moment. The mood of the Campo was busy and energetic and our cameras came out which allowed us to fit right in with all the others. We had learned just a few minutes earlier that you should not stand still too long taking pictures or you would get pooped on. This is because Samantha (our “outdoorsy” friend) got pooped on just a few minutes before when we had stopped to take pictures of a church. So there we were, in the Campo snapping away with our cameras, and after finding the tourist office and checking back with our map we learned that this so called “Duomo” that we had to see wasn’t in the Campo and we were all sorts of confused. We began to follow the arrows and when we arrived at the Duomo we knew we had to be right this time.
I have seen many churches, but the Duomo isn’t even as big as it was originally planned to be and us three stood there speechless. All I could do was stop and stare at every part of this beautiful church. The floors, the ceiling, the columns, the arches, the frescos; it was all beautiful beyond words. I wondered how people came to services in a place so elaborately designed because I couldn’t focus on a preacher if I had to attend a service. The Duomo we saw is what was supposed to be only the Nave in for the church, but they never finished all that was planned. The fact that people line up and pay to see something that was to be only a portion of something even bigger tells you how grand it was.
Everywhere you go in Italy there is a church. I knew this before I came and feared I would get tired of going in them. Well, I haven’t gotten tired of going in them and I don’t think I will. All of them have held their own beauty and charm, and ones that are as big and beautiful as the Duomo have left me speechless. We went into the church of St. Catherine right before going to the Duomo. St. Catherine was said to have gone through stigmata (the stages Jesus went through during the resurrection). This particular church was placed on the sight of her family’s home. There were works done in the 1800s that adorned what was the family’s kitchen and showed St. Catherine’s life. In the church there was a cross with Jesus that was similar to the one I had seen in a church in Arezzo. I could connect it to a time period and an artist even though I didn’t know much about it. I thought it was interesting that there was work from many different centuries in the church. The back piece that was in the same room as the frescos from the 1800s was done in the 1500s. You must be able to analyze a piece of art to notice how an older style. It is not as easy for older pieces as it is for art work of today. In pieces from today you can easily notice a modern flair that reads like no 15th to 17th century piece of work which told its own story. Let me not attempt to get into too much detail of comparing art work until I get a little more knowledge!
Saturday turned into Saturday night, and after a successful day in Siena we attended an event similar to a pig pickin in the states in Monte San Savino. There was entire pigs laid out on the butcher’s counters and you had the option between two pigs (which they DID name.) I picked my pig and had a Panini. The difference between a pig pickin in the states and this “festival” for pigs was there was that there was no cole slaw and no barbeque sauce. Neither of these bothered me because I absolutely despise cole slaw and enjoyed my pig without any sauce, but it would have been quite nice to have an extra large sweet tea last night! To make up for my loss of a southern US treat Martha and Ben made us an amazing American (US) breakfast this morning! My plate was filled with cheesy eggs, bacon, hashbrowns with onions, and even some toast. It was an amazing way to end my weekend in Siena. We made it back to Sansepolcro and now it is time for me to piece together the many stories in Italy’s Sorrow, study art history, and make it to the Ballestra!! Ciao Ciao <3

once a small town girl, always a small town girl

2009-09-08T13:37:00.000-07:00

Since our arrival in Sansepolcro I have had the chance to go on beautiful Sunday afternoon bike rides under the Tuscan sun(really!), go on early morning jogs when the temperature is just right, and walk with John Rose learning about all of Sansepolcro’s small town charm. We have even been here long enough to wonder why the heck we would hear any English on the streets of Sansepolcro, so when we do our heads quickly turn to see who is in OUR town. This place begins to become like home each day with each new thing I learn, or each new place I discover. There is a church right down the street from the Palazzo Alberti (also known as my home!) that is from the 9th or 10th century, and as if that wasn’t beautiful enough inside was a beautiful oil painting of the “Deposition of Christ” which holds enough significance of Christ’s death in the first five seconds you are looking at it to just make you speechless. After seeing this I hear that ¾ of the world’s art is in Italy. Again, I just thank God that I am in that same place with that same ¾ of the world’s art.

Today when I went out into the city after Italian for the market in my running shorts and t-shirt and quickly remembered this seems to be unacceptable to the Italian culture. Everyone leaves their homes dressed to a tee whether it be going to the market or out for passagata each night. When I sit at the CafeK with my Italy Sorrow book I get distracted by all the people walking by because you can learn so much just from people watching. There are so many grandparents pushing their children and sometimes families going for a stroll at times my parents would still be working. It makes me wonder how these peoples work days work when they have to fit in a three course lunch and nap in the middle, and we as Americans are lucky to fit in a burger from a fast food restaurant. While people watching today over my amazing cup of cioccolato caldo (hot chocolate) I see some people walk by me more than once. As I try to shove Italian history in my head these people have time to walk circles around me. They take the gift of time in a way I only wish I could. I can barely do one thing without thinking about what is coming next. This slow pace is really making me learn that I need to take a moment to breathe in the midst of classes and traveling. If I want to learn from classes and traveling I have got to have a moment to think about it. That desired slow pace may come from always being a small town girl. I always lived in a slow paced town but my mind and heart worked in a way that was anything opposite of slow.

Although I am looked at as a stranger by some I have made friends easily in this town. Soon enough we will all be figuring out ways we can meet up to see one another every week. There is Sara and Miro from the Gellateria, Nicole’s friend Giacomo and his friend also named Giacomo (we like to refer to his as Giacomo due) that we have spent time with, and Guilia who is Giacomo due’s friend that we now talk to! They are all so sweet, and I even got to use my Spanish from high school and freshman year with my new friend Cassandra. We were all hanging out on the main road over the weekend and I hear Cassandra say “come se llamas” and think I am in ITALY. I look at her and we laugh hysterically, but it is so weird too because she knows barely any English and I know only a bit of Italian after my brief time here. It is good to know that I am not only making friends with the girls in the Palazzo but with people in the town.

I could probably write all night about all the things I have seen and thought, but instead I better get to the new and excited Italy Sorrow book for Dr.Webb’s class... I must say it sure best Degrands Italian Fascism! Ciao, <3

highs and lows and Italy so far! :)

2009-09-08T10:23:00.001-07:00

I wrote this for class and while I am hoping it is what Dr.Webb wanted I also hope you enjoy. Thought I might as well share! Lots of grace, love and peace to all <3

The day before I left for Italy I had an uncountable number of feelings running through me, but excitement seemed to overwhelm them all. I took this as a blessing because I thought that it was a perfect feeling to have so that I wouldn’t get upset leaving everyone. I can’t count the number of times that I said to myself “am I really here” and I have been here less than two weeks. Since our arrival I have felt many highs and a few lows, mostly because of all the work we have!
I am choosing to make a large physical adjustment because not only do I not have a car, but I would love to lose some weight. This led me to my first big purchase which was my bike. I have been so happy that I bought it and after only having it a few weeks I already feel I got my money worth. Sunday when we rode through town on a perfect day I became overwhelmed with joy at how lucky I was to be in this place. Seeing people happy and walking around the town and just going out with a few girls from the house has allowed me simple joy. Choosing to run with Nicole and walk with John Rose so I can enjoy an extra serving of pasta is well worth the pain it puts my ankles and thighs in, because it makes me see this beautiful place and feel good about myself. It is hard to be away from all the people at home and while I could choose to make missing people a low I don’t. This is because I know that they are all in my heart and I can think of them constantly and just be happy they will be there when I return. I feel like that feeling comes with knowing you are in the right place and I can honestly say that I feel like I am in the right place. Although no one here speaks like I do or even knows who I am I feel so comfortable. I have been yelled at by an old Italian man at my first experience at the pool and while I could chose to be bitter about him I just tell myself he taught me you DO have to pay for those comfortable chairs you lay out in.
All in all I have so far made new friends, from Meredith and Sansepolcro, learned how much I really do love the people back home, and learned a whole lot about Italy and its history too! I hope I don’t reach a major low but if I keep a positive attitude about my classes and all the work they hold, and manage my work then this semester is going to be nothing short of the best experience of my life.

dont forget to pack some Jesus... cant pack dance though :(

2009-09-05T10:35:00.001-07:00

Last night I got to go get dinner with Nicole and Sam and we got into conversation about our church's back home. Of course it got intense as we began to talk about our faith communities and as we continued to talk we all realized that there we were in a new amazing faith community. It was hard leaving my home and my Vintage21 and my community group because sometimes that is what keeps you going. We all reminded each other that God was everywhere and that if we had our faith nothing was going to change that. How beautiful is our lord?! :)
Today is was off to Anghiari and Arezzo for the day. Anghiari is this beautiful town up on a mountain will a wall around it and they had the cutest shops. I fell in love with the small cafe that sat at the edge of town and gave a view straight from Under the Tuscan Sun. One of many moments i am reminded how lucky I am! While in Anghiari i saw a sign for dance classes and then as the day went on i began to notice them everywhere. Was someone trying to send a message?! I mean its not like i dont miss dance enough already. So where I am helplessly reading signs in Italian about amazing dance classes of all sorts. I must find one soon or there is potential for losing my mind. Regardless of the dance signs jumping in my face upon my arrival to Arezzo I had a great time wandering around the antique market and managing to buy a few things (I did say I wanted a new bag). The day was beautiful and all though my legs are still screaming from my run with Nicole yesterday, they are excited for the next adventure tomorrow to Perugia! Ciao amici e la famiglia <3

"this is so much better than slides"

2009-09-02T09:55:00.000-07:00

So I have reached the fact that you I am happier than ever to be in this beautiful place and the ones that I love are always in your heart so I can’t be sad and miss them. This amazing semester is going to fly by. I guess I will have to be ok with not getting naps like every other Italian and just spend it learning about Italian Fascism and all the beauty of art in Italy, or perhaps ill spend the extra hours of sleep I could get at night learning Italian from Nicole or Giacomo (if I’m ready to embarrass myself) over a glass of wine (this is vino ).

Tonight was one of those nights of learning Italian out of class. We met Giacomo and I felt like every time we talked about anything there I would go with “Como si dici” and fill in with the word we had just said in English. This helped me learn: shop, worried, clothes, doughnut, end, laugh, boring, night, try, strange, friend and fine. I find that pretty good for one glass of wine and some very good company of friends! I got to even teach Ciara something I knew in Italian. As we learned how to multiply in Italian (as if I don’t struggle with math enough) I taught HER that by using you’re 10 fingers you can find multiplications with multiples of 9, well up to 9!

Oh and about those slides. Well they don’t exist in the art history class here in Italy. We just get to travel and be RIGHT there, in front of the art. There was the Museo Civico, Sansepolcro first. There I learned that because of art restoration they can literally take a fresco from the wall and move it. When they do this they separate it from the stucco wall where they have sketched out in red charcoal the fresco. They do the fresco in sections using Plaster of Paris, giving them three hours to finish a section. Art restoration is a God send because then people SUCH AS (like was there John Rose) me can see these century old works. When we arrived at the Chiesa Di San Francesco I saw work by the father of Alberti who is connected right here to where I am living. As if seeing all of these things in person wasn’t enough, I wasn’t even ready for what was next. Our teacher and lovely helper Sara asked her father to let us in the church and he carried us under the large sanctuary and showed us the BODY of Beato Ranieri. Yes, I got to see the body of a man who preformed over one hundred miracles for the people of his time and even after.

I feel blessed beyond words today, and as the pattern for my writing so late develops, tired beyond words also! So ciao amicis (friends ) until the next beautiful adventure <3

Who knew...

2009-09-01T14:43:00.000-07:00

Today was the first morning walk with John Rose and also what felt like the longest day of class so far, but who knew that this small city could hold so much history. I began the day banging the top of the small alarm clock beside my face which screams at me for the day to begin. I must remind myself that screaming alarm allows me to get up and open the windows of my room down to the main road of a beautiful Italian city in which case I can’t complain that I must start my day because it’s another day in this beautiful place. I throw on some clothes to make me look more American than my blonde haired self already does so I can make the walk. We came to the place where Meredith students used to stay and although I enjoyed the views and charm of the beautiful garden, I am reminded that I am currently being treated like a princess in this palazzo. As the walk continues we make it to the Casa Della Buitoni where I learned was Nestles’ international headquarters. A house that beautiful to make chocolate in? Sounds amazing to me. I feel like I find out all sorts of things that happened in this city every day, and a lot of times it’s just sitting around talking with people. Today Sara did tell us a lot about how Sansepolcro grew and became a city. I mean imagine a few men coming here in 1500 or so and creating a city. The Italians have this clever way of building up cities it seems. I mean not only do they have four entrances whose names make sense of the cities they face (like the entrances named after Florence and Rome) but when they built a building over an arch into the city they built around that history and left the arch alone. Although I have never been the biggest fan for history I can honestly said that learning about the beautiful city and country I get to live in these next 3 months makes me really appreciate where I am. I took a bike ride around the city with Nicole after the day full of class to breathe in the beautiful air of Sansepolcro before heading back to the palazzo to have cheese crackers and salami for dinner—also known as pure bliss  The beginning processes of planning weekends, some long and some shorter, surely has gotten me excited. It also stops me from wanting to cry about the papers I have to write and the fear I have of writing them. At least I can say I am truly in a place where I am excited to be learning. Its past my bedtime… Buona notte!

a weekend in Italy

2009-08-31T10:54:00.000-07:00

Im writing tired but vowed I would get it all out tonight because by tomorrow night I may have another amazing story about a beautiful day in this beautiful place. Tonight i have spent too many hours in front of this laptop doing work and it brings sadness to my heart but the thought of all ahead and the weekend i had makes me very happy! :)

This weekend we stayed around Sansepolcro and even though its a small town there is lots to discover... for me and Nicole we chose the community pool on a hot saturday. So you have a community pool in ITALY on a hot saturday. yes, there was skippy bathing suits and young italian men in speedos and there i was sitting in my chair (which we discovered was not a free amenity) in my one peice trying to just read my Italian Fascism book and not get distracted. The old man that yelled at Nicole was the reason we learned the hard way that you just cant grab a chair, you must go get one for 2 euro...nicole was able to figure out he said something along the lines of "what are you doing you didnt pay for that" before he snatched his chair back and put it in the same useless spot we found it where it sat lonely...
Getting back from the pool was the first of many attempts i have had to go run with nicole. failed that day of course but we prepared for the night and after seeing all my family on skype (cats included) we headed out for the night with some new friends. little did we know that after pre dinner drink and chat and long wait for amazing pizza that we would be going to the disco techa. the price was steep but i enjoyed it once we got in. i finally got to dance again, and i must say... a club that plays even grease lightning AND cotton eye joe with a mix of american songs is a good place to be on a saturday to me. that brought with it quite a long bedtime... and of course some very sweaty hair and cigarette scented clothes from all the people at the disco techa. i learned why they said "bring febrezze" that night.
sunday i rolled out of bed in enough time to get lunch with the whole group at the restaurant right behind the palazzo. AMAZING. of course... nothing less here in italy. i had pasta with goose meat. like ground beef to me but o so good and then the meat came... there was the roast beef but then there was this other meat that i told myself MAY have been rabbit but was like im in italy and i am eating it. well i had a slice of little bunny foo foo at lunch. tasty though :)
the rest of the day consisted of the most beautiful bike ride yet on the most beautiful day in Sansepolcro yet... wow im such a lucky girl. even got to see lots of the city and places around sunday. going to bed here now. finally finished english among the midst of many skype and facebook chatting which held me back probably hours... but i just must walk with john rose in the morning. ciao till the next adventure <3